Tumour grade significantly correlates with total dysfunction of tumour tissue-infiltrating lymphocytes in renal cell carcinoma

Sci Rep. 2020 Apr 10;10(1):6220. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-63060-1.

Abstract

It is important to evaluate the clinical importance of both CD8 T cells and CD4 T cells expression simultaneously because they have crucial networks in tumour targeting immune responses. In 97 RCC patients, RNA sequencing and gene set enrichment analysis of both CD8 and CD4 T cells based on the expression levels of PD-1 and TIM-3 implied that the populations of PD-1+TIM-3+ CD8 T cells and PD-1lowTIM-3 + CD4 T cells were characterized as exhausted CD8 T cells and regulatory CD4 T cells, respectively. These populations of CD4 and CD8 T cells were significantly upregulated in the patients with RCC of higher WHO/ISUP grade (grades 3, 4) (P < 0.001). Moreover, the cytokine productivities of each population in both CD4 and CD8 T cells of the higher-grade patients were significantly lower than those of the lower-grade patients (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed the prognosis of patients with metastatic RCC of higher WHO/ISUP grade treated by nivolumab to be significantly worse than that of patients with lower grade (P = 0.026). This study showed that tumour grade significantly correlated with dysfunction of both CD4+ and CD8+ TILs and the efficacy of nivolumab treatment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological / therapeutic use
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / diagnosis*
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / drug therapy
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / immunology
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / mortality
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2 / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Kidney / pathology
  • Kidney Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Kidney Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Kidney Neoplasms / immunology
  • Kidney Neoplasms / mortality
  • Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / immunology*
  • Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / metabolism
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Grading
  • Nivolumab / pharmacology
  • Nivolumab / therapeutic use
  • Prognosis
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / metabolism
  • Progression-Free Survival
  • RNA-Seq
  • Retrospective Studies
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / metabolism
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Tumor Microenvironment / drug effects
  • Tumor Microenvironment / immunology*

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological
  • Cytokines
  • HAVCR2 protein, human
  • Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2
  • PDCD1 protein, human
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor
  • Nivolumab