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Author Spotlight: A Model to Study the Systemic and Local Dynamics of CD8+ T Cells During LN Metastasis
Published on: January 26, 2024
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Immune microenvironment and lymph node yield in colorectal cancer.
Soo Hyun Lee1, Amaya Pankaj2, Azfar Neyaz3,4
1Department of Pathology, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
British Journal of Cancer
|July 28, 2023
Summary
Higher lymph node (LN) yield in colorectal cancer patients correlates with a more robust immune microenvironment and improved survival. This suggests the tumor
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Lymph node (LN) harvesting is crucial for staging and prognosis in colorectal cancer.
- The relationship between the primary tumor's immune microenvironment and LN yield remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the tumor's immune microenvironment is associated with lymph node (LN) yield in colorectal adenocarcinoma.
- To determine the prognostic significance of LN yield and its correlation with immune markers.
Main Methods:
- Compared 926 treatment-naive colorectal adenocarcinoma patients with high (≥12) versus low (<12) LN yield.
- Utilized immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays to quantify immune markers including CD8, PD-L1, and beta-2-microglobulin (B2MG).
Main Results:
- Higher LN yield (LN-high) was linked to younger patients, larger tumors, right-sided location, and deficient mismatch repair (dMMR).
- The LN-high group exhibited increased CD8+ T-cell infiltration and B2MG expression.
- Disease-specific survival was significantly higher in the LN-high group.
Conclusions:
- Increased LN yield is associated with a survival benefit in colorectal cancer.
- LN yield is linked to an immune-rich tumor microenvironment, indicating immune factors influence LN harvesting.
- LN yield, CD8+ cell infiltration, and tumor stage are independent prognostic factors.
