Deconstructing Immune Cell Infiltration in Human Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Spatiotemporal Evaluation

Immune dynamics shaping pre-metastatic and metastatic niches in liver metastases: from molecular mechanisms to therapeutic strategies

Liver metastases are commonly detected in the advanced stages of various malignant tumors, representing a significant clinical challenge. Throughout the process of liver metastases formation, immune cells play a pivotal role, particularly in the pre-metastatic and metastatic niches within the liver. Immune cells establish extensive and intricate interactions with tumor cells and other components in the liver, collectively promoting and sustaining the growth of liver metastases. Despite the limited efficacy of existing therapeutic modalities against some advanced liver metastases, novel immune-based treatment approaches are continuously being explored and validated. Building on the systematic elucidation of the immunosuppressive characteristics of liver metastases, we explored the potential of novel immunotherapies applicable to patients with liver metastases from multiple dimensions.

Prediction of prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma based on immune-related score

BACKGROUND

Immune-related scores are currently used for prognostic evaluation and as an immunotherapy reference in various cancers. However, the relationship between immune-related score and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis has not yet been investigated. This study aimed to explore the clinical application value of immune-related score for predicting HCC prognosis-related indicators including disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS), and to construct a clinical nomogram prediction model related to verification.

METHODS

This study included 284 HCC patients who were selected from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and linked to the immune-related score downloaded from the public platform. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the adjusted risk ratio, and a nomogram was constructed based on multivariate analysis results and clinical significance. The model was internally verified by bootstrap. The performance of the prediction model was evaluated using the C-index and calibration curves.

RESULTS

Patients were divided into three subgroups according to the immune-related score level. Compared with patients in the low immune-related score group, the DFS of patients in the medium and high immune-related score groups was significantly prolonged (HR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.32-0.87; HR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.21-0.63, respectively). The OS of patients in the medium and high immune-related score groups was also significantly prolonged (HR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.20-0.95, p = 0.038; HR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.14-0.58, p < 0.001, respectively). The C-indexes for predicting DFS and OS were 0.687 (95% CI: 0.665-0.700) and 0.743 (95% CI: 0.709-0.776), respectively. The calibration curves of 3-year and 5-year DFS and OS showed that the results predicted by the nomogram were in good agreement with the actual observations.

CONCLUSIONS

Moderate/high-grade immune-related score was significantly associated with better DFS and OS in HCC patients. In addition, a nomogram for prognosis estimation can help clinicians predict the survival status of patients.

Increased CCR4+ and Decreased Central Memory CD4+ T Lymphocytes in the Background Gastric Mucosa of Patients Developing Gastric Cancer After Helicobacter pylori Eradication: An Exploratory Study

The composition of lymphocytes in the gastric mucosa following the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in patients with and without gastric cancer has not been compared. This study performed a single spot analysis of gastric mucosal lymphocytes after H. pylori eradication in patients with (n = 13) and without (n = 20) gastric cancer. Our comprehensive analysis of lymphocyte composition in the gastric mucosa revealed that: i) the proportion of CD8⁺/CD3⁺ cells was relatively higher in the peri-tumor mucosa than in the background mucosa; ii) the proportion of CCR4⁺/CD3⁺ cells was higher, and the ratio of CD62L⁺/CD3⁺CD4⁺ cells was relatively lower in the gastric mucosa of cancer patients than in non-cancer patients; and iii) the proportion of CD45RA^-CD62L⁺/CD3⁺CD4⁺ cells, namely, the central memory CD4⁺ T-cell fraction, was lower in the gastric mucosa of cancer patients than in non-cancer patients. Although the exact mechanism of the altered proportions of CCR4⁺/CD3⁺ and central memory CD4⁺ cells in the gastric mucosa of patients with cancer is unknown, focusing on lymphocytes in the gastric mucosa might help improve our understanding of gastric cancer development after H. pylori eradication.