Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 18, 2025
Development of Compendium for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: April 12, 2024
Integrative genome-scale analysis of immune infiltration in esophageal carcinoma
Yunyi Bian1, Guoshu Bi1, Tengteng Wei2
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Insights
This study categorizes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) into two immune infiltration groups, revealing distinct tumor microenvironment (TME) characteristics and prognostic implications for guiding immunotherapy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a significant global health concern.
- Understanding the tumor microenvironment (TME) is crucial for developing effective cancer therapies, particularly immunotherapy.
- Immune cell infiltration patterns within the TME significantly influence patient prognosis and treatment response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular mechanisms and immune cell infiltration patterns in the ESCC tumor microenvironment.
- To classify ESCC patients into distinct immune infiltration groups.
- To identify potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for ESCC immunotherapy.
Main Methods:
- Utilized The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset (n=78) to analyze immune cell infiltration in ESCC.
- Employed a random forest classifier to categorize the ESCC microenvironment into two infiltration groups (I and II).
- Performed multivariable Cox analysis to assess the prognostic value of identified infiltration groups.
Main Results:
- Identified two distinct immune infiltration groups in ESCC: Infiltration I (low immune infiltration, high mutation load) and Infiltration II (enriched cytotoxic and immunosuppressive cells, upregulated cytokines like IFN-γ, TNF-β, PD-L1).
- Demonstrated that the infiltration group is an independent predictor of prognosis in ESCC patients (HR=2.73, p=0.03).
- Validated findings using Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and institutional datasets (n=98).
Conclusions:
- The study provides a comprehensive analysis of immune infiltration patterns in ESCC.
- Revealed distinct molecular and clinical characteristics associated with different TME phenotypes.
- Findings offer insights into the ESCC TME mechanisms, potentially advancing immunotherapy strategies for ESCC patients.
Abstract:
To explore the molecular mechanism in the esophageal squamous carcinoma (ESCC) environment, we selected datasets of ESCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (n = 78) and explored the infiltration condition of 24 immune cells in each sample. We assorted the microenvironment of ESCC into two Infiltration groups (I and II) and built a random forest classifier model. We showed traits of gene and clinicopathology in the tumor microenvironment (TME) phenotypes systematically. Infiltration I had low infiltration of immune cells and immunomodulators but relatively higher mutation load, while Infiltration II was enriched with cytotoxic T cells and immunosuppressive cells. The upregulation of several immune cytokines like IFN-γ, TNF-β, and PD-L1 was seen in Infiltration II. The infiltration group was an independent predictor of prognosis showed by Multivariable Cox analysis (Infiltration II vs. I, hazard ratio = 2.73, 95% confidence interval = 1.08-6.91, p = 0.03). All the results can be verified in datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO) and our institution (n = 98). Our results demonstrate a synthesis of the infiltration pattern of the immune in ESCC. We reveal the mechanism of TME, which may contribute to the progress of immunotherapy for patients with ESCC.
