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Prognostic and Predictive Relevance of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Squamous Cell Head–Neck Cancer Patients Treated with Radical Radiotherapy/Chemo-Radiotherapy
| Content Provider | MDPI |
|---|---|
| Author | Koukourakis, Ioannis M. Gkegka, Anastasia G. Xanthopoulou, Erasmia Nanos, Christos Giatromanolaki, Alexandra Koukourakis, Michael I. |
| Copyright Year | 2022 |
| Description | Microenvironmental conditions control the entrance and thriving of cytotoxic lymphocytes in tumors, allowing or preventing immune-mediated cancer cell death. We investigated the role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) density in the outcome of radiotherapy in a series of squamous cell head–neck tumors (HNSCC). Moreover, we assessed the link between markers of hypoxia and TIL density. One-hundred twenty-one patients with HNSCC treated prospectively with radical radiotherapy/chemo-radiotherapy were analyzed. The assessment of TIL density was performed on hematoxylin and eosin biopsy sections before radiotherapy. TIL density ranged from 0.8 to 150 lymphocytes per ×40 optical field (median 27.5). Using the median value, patients were grouped into two categories of low and high TIL density. Early T-stage tumors had a significantly higher TIL density (p < 0.003), but we found no association with N-stage. Overexpression of HIF1α, HIF2α, and CA9 was significantly linked with poor infiltration by TILs (p < 0.03). A significant association of high TIL density with better disease-specific overall survival and improved locoregional relapse-free survival was noted (p = 0.008 and 0.02, respectively), which was also confirmed in multivariate analysis. It is concluded that HNSCC phenotypes that allow for the intratumoral accumulation of lymphocytes have a better outcome following radical radiotherapy/chemo-radiotherapy. Intratumoral-activated HIF- and CA9-related pathways characterize immunologically cold tumors and may be used as targets for therapeutic interventions. |
| Ending Page | 4284 |
| Page Count | 11 |
| Starting Page | 4274 |
| e-ISSN | 17187729 |
| DOI | 10.3390/curroncol29060342 |
| Journal | Current Oncology |
| Issue Number | 6 |
| Volume Number | 29 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | MDPI |
| Publisher Date | 2022-06-15 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Current Oncology Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging Squamous Cell Head–neck Cancer Radiotherapy Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocytes Hypoxia Prognosis |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
