Expression and Prognostic Significance of LAG-3, TIGIT, VISTA, and IDO1 in Endometrial Serous Carcinoma

Abstract

Endometrial serous carcinoma (ESC) is an uncommon, aggressive type of endometrial cancer. While immune checkpoint blockade has emerged as a promising treatment option for endometrial carcinomas, research on the expression of immune checkpoints that could serve as prospective immunotherapy targets in ESC is limited. We examined the prevalence and prognostic value of lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3), T-cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), V-domain immunoglobulin (Ig) suppressor of T-cell activation (VISTA), and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 in 94 cases of ESC and correlated their expression with CD8+ and FOXP3+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). We observed a positive correlation among LAG-3, TIGIT, and VISTA expressed on immune cells, and among these markers and CD8+ and FOXP3+ TIL densities. In Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, tumors with high levels of LAG-3 and TIGIT expression had better progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than those with lower levels of expression (LAG-3: PFS, P = .03, OS, P = .04; TIGIT: PFS, P = .01, OS, P = .009). In multivariate analysis, only high TIGIT expression was of independent prognostic value for better OS. VISTA expression in immune or tumor cells, and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 expression in tumor cells, did not show a significant association with survival. Our data indicate that LAG-3, TIGIT, and VISTA immune checkpoints have roles in the microenvironment of ESC, and their expression patterns highlight the complex interactions among the different components of this system. High levels of these markers, together with high CD8+ TIL, suggest the potential immunogenicity of a subset of these tumors. Further studies are needed to elucidate the roles of various immune components in the ESC microenvironment and their association with intrinsic tumor properties.