Circulating Immune Cells Predict Prognosis and Clinical Response to Chemotherapy in Cholangiocarcinoma

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Oncology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• The immune system plays a crucial role in cancer prognosis and treatment response.
• The clinical significance of peripheral blood immune cells in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is not well understood.
• This study investigates the potential of circulating immune cells as indicators for CCA prognosis and chemotherapy efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the distribution of peripheral blood immune cell subsets in CCA patients compared to healthy individuals.
• To determine the correlation between immune cell subsets and clinicopathological features of CCA.
• To evaluate the predictive value of lymphocyte subsets for chemotherapy outcomes and overall survival (OS) in CCA.

Main Methods:

• Flow cytometry was used to analyze immune cell subsets in peripheral blood from 141 CCA patients and 131 healthy volunteers.
• Statistical analyses were performed to compare subset distributions between groups and correlate them with clinicopathological features.
• Kaplan-Meier analysis assessed the association of lymphocyte subsets with chemotherapy response and OS.

Main Results:

• CCA patients showed decreased lymphocyte proportions and increased activated T cells and CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs).
• Lymphocyte proportion was significantly lower in patients with lymph node metastasis (N) and distant metastasis (M).
• Increased CD3+ and CD4+ cell proportions correlated with effective chemotherapy response, and high natural killer (NK) cell proportion was linked to prolonged OS.

Conclusions:

• Circulating immune cell profiles, including lymphocyte and NK cell proportions, are associated with prognosis and chemotherapy response in CCA.
• These findings suggest that peripheral immune cells can serve as potential biomarkers for CCA prognosis and chemotherapy response stratification.