Tertiary Lymphoid Structures, Immune Response, and Prognostic Relevance in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

• Published in: Cancer investigation Vol. 41; no. 1; pp. 48 - 57
• Main Authors: Giatromanolaki, Alexandra, Chatzipantelis, Paschalis, Contrafouris, Constantinos A., Koukourakis, Michael I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 02-01-2023
• Subjects: Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - metabolism; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - surgery; Humans; Immunity; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating - metabolism; Non-small-cell lung cancer; Prognosis; tertiary lymphoid structures; Tertiary Lymphoid Structures - metabolism; Tertiary Lymphoid Structures - pathology; Tumor Microenvironment; tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes; Non-small-cell lung cancer; tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes; prognosis; tertiary lymphoid structures
• ISSN: 0735-7907; 1532-4192
• DOI: 10.1080/07357907.2022.2136684

We assessed the presence of 'tertiary lymphoid structures' (TLS) in a series of surgically treated non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC). The TLS-density in the tumor periphery (pTLS) ranged from 0 to 1.8 (median 0.45), while in inner tumor areas (iTLS) ranged from 0 to 1.0 (median 0); (p < 0.0001). High pTLS-density was linked with early stage of the disease. Glycolysis-related enzyme expression (MCT1, Hexokinase 2) was linked with high pTLS-density (p < 0.05). High pTLS and iTLS densities were linked with better postoperative prognosis (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively). Assessment of TLS is a useful prognostic marker in NSCLC.