Prognostic immune markers in non-small cell lung cancer

Tumor-associated immune responses have polarized effects in regulating tumor growth. Although a clear association has been shown between the tumor immune response and clinical outcome in colorectal and ovarian cancers, the role of immune markers for stratifying prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is less defined. Herein, we review the prognostic significance of published immune markers in the tumor microenvironment and peripheral blood of NSCLC patients. To identify prognostic immune genes, we reviewed all published gene-profiling studies in NSCLC and delineated the significance of immune genes by doing subanalysis on the microarray database of the NIH Director's Challenge study. This first comprehensive review of prognostic immune markers provides a foundation for further investigating immune responses in NSCLC.