Wenchen Gong, Su Zhang, Xiangdong Tian, Wenshuai Chen, Yuchao He, Liwei Chen, Tingting Ding, Peiqi Ren, Lin Shi, Qiang Wu, Yan Sun, Lu Chen, Hua Guo
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CCA), as a rare primary hepatic tumor, is challenging to accurately assess in terms of the clinical outcomes and prognostic risk factors in patients. This study aimed to clarify the function of tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) status in predicting the outcome of cHCC-CCA and to preliminarily explore the possible mechanism of TLS formation.
Methods: The TLSs, with different spatial distributions and densities, of 137 cHCC-CCA were quantified, and their association with prognosis was assessed by Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses. We further validated TLS possible efficacy in predicting immunotherapy responsiveness in two cHCC-CCA case reports. TLS composition and its relationship to CXCL12 expression were analysed by fluorescent multiplex immunohistochemistry.
Results: A high intratumoural TLS score was correlated with prolonged survival, whereas a high TLS density in adjacent tissue indicated a worse prognosis in cHCC-CCA. Mature TLSs were related to favorable outcomes and showed more CD8 + T cells infiltrating tumor tissues. We further divided the cHCC-CCA patients into four immune grades by combining the peri-TLS and intra-TLS, and these grades were an independent prognostic factor. In addition, our reported cases suggested a potential value of TLS in predicting immunotherapy response in cHCC-CCA patients. Our findings suggested that CXCL12 expression in cHCC-CCA tissue was significantly correlated with TLS presence.
Conclusion: The spatial distribution and density of TLSs revealing the characteristics of the cHCC-CCA immune microenvironment, significantly correlated with prognosis and provided a potential immunotherapy response biomarker for cHCC-CCA.
期刊介绍:
Hepatology International is the official journal of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL). This is a peer-reviewed journal featuring articles written by clinicians, clinical researchers and basic scientists is dedicated to research and patient care issues in hepatology. This journal will focus mainly on new and emerging technologies, cutting-edge science and advances in liver and biliary disorders.
Types of articles published:
-Original Research Articles related to clinical care and basic research
-Review Articles
-Consensus guidelines for diagnosis and treatment
-Clinical cases, images
-Selected Author Summaries
-Video Submissions