Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 19, 2026
Analysis of Human T Cell Activity in an Allogeneic Co-Culture Setting of Pre-Treated Tumor Cells
Published on: March 7, 2025
Post-chemotherapy T-cell recovery is a marker of improved survival in patients with advanced thoracic malignancies
M J McCoy1, R A Lake, R G van der Most
1Tumour Immunology Group, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
Background:
There is increasing interest in combining chemotherapy with immunotherapy. However, the effects of chemotherapy on the human immune system are largely unknown.
Methods:
Longitudinal changes in peripheral T-cell subsets in 40 patients with malignant mesothelioma (MM) or advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving platinum-based chemotherapy were assessed by flow cytometry and evaluated for associations with clinical outcome.
Results:
Proliferating T cells of all subsets were almost entirely depleted at day 8 following chemotherapy, but rapidly recovered above baseline levels. Regulatory T cells (Treg) were most profoundly depleted at this time point. A greater increase in CD8(+) T-cell proliferation following one treatment cycle was associated with improved overall survival in univariate (hazard ratio (HR)=0.40; P<0.05) and multivariate (HR=0.17; P<0.01) analyses. A greater increase in the ratio of CD8(+) T cell to Treg proliferation was also predictive of better prognosis.
Conclusion:
Chemotherapy potentially provides a favourable environment for the development of anti-tumour immunity through transient Treg depletion and regeneration of the T-cell pool. Change in CD8(+) T-cell proliferation after one cycle of chemotherapy may represent a useful prognostic indicator in patients with MM and NSCLC.
