The Prognostic Value of Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes After Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer: A Systematic
Tatsushi Kawada1, Takafumi Yanagisawa2, Pawel Rajwa3
1Department of Urology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Urology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kita-ku, Okayama, Japan.
Clinical Genitourinary Cancer
|February 9, 2024
Summary
Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are valuable prognostic markers for bladder cancer (BC) patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC). High levels of CD8+ and intratumoral TILs correlate with improved overall survival and recurrence-free survival, aiding clinical decisions.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
Background:
- Assessing the prognostic significance of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in bladder cancer (BC) patients post-radical cystectomy (RC).
- Investigating specific lymphocyte subsets (CD3, CD8, FOXP3) and their correlation with patient outcomes.
Approach:
- Conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus up to April 2022.
- Performed a meta-analysis of 9 studies involving 1413 patients to evaluate the association between TILs and overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS).
- Conducted subgroup analyses based on TIL evaluation methods (CD3, CD8, FOXP3, HE staining) and infiltration sites.
Key Points:
- Elevated TILs were significantly associated with favorable OS (HR: 0.65) and RFS (HR: 0.48) in BC patients post-RC.
- High CD8+ TILs demonstrated significant association with improved OS (HR: 0.51) and RFS (HR: 0.53).
- High intratumoral TILs were linked to favorable OS (HR: 0.34).
Conclusions:
- TILs serve as important prognostic markers for bladder cancer patients undergoing radical cystectomy.
- CD8+ TILs and intratumoral TILs show particular promise as indicators of favorable oncologic outcomes.
- Further research is needed to explore the predictive value of TILs in response to perioperative systemic therapy for clinical decision-making.
