Intratumoral regulatory T cells are associated with treatment response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and prognosis in gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma is an increasingly common cancer with complex biology and poor prognosis. The treatment strategy for locally advanced tumors involves multimodal treatment with perioperative chemotherapy. However, survival rates remain low, especially for advanced disease. Here, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor sections from 72 patients with GEJ I and II adenocarcinoma who underwent primary resection or perioperative standard-of-care FLOT treatment were analyzed for their intratumoral T cell composition using multiplex immunohistochemistry. The proportions of T cells and their influence on survival were evaluated using Mann-Whitney U and log rank analyses. A comparison of short- and long-term survivors revealed significant differences in the infiltration of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Tumors after neoadjuvant FLOT treatment presented increased proportions of CD8+ T cells with reduced Granzyme B expression, indicating an altered immune response. Overall survival analysis revealed that high infiltration of Tregs was associated with poor survival. Notably, responders to FLOT therapy had a greater T cell frequency and improved survival, whereas nonresponders presented higher levels of Tregs and CD8+ T cells expressing TIM-3. Overall, GEJ cancer patients had increased CD8+ T cells after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with FLOT, and Tregs were associated with treatment response and reduced survival.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number2574859
JournalOncoimmunology
Volume14
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC12599349
ORCID /0000-0003-2540-6421/work/197320996
ORCID /0000-0002-5329-3164/work/197321249
ORCID /0000-0001-9389-4688/work/197321478

Keywords

Keywords

  • Adenocarcinoma/immunology, Adult, Aged, Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use, CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology, Chemotherapy, Adjuvant, Esophageal Neoplasms/immunology, Esophagogastric Junction/pathology, Female, Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2/metabolism, Humans, Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/immunology, Male, Middle Aged, Neoadjuvant Therapy, Prognosis, Stomach Neoplasms/immunology, T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology, Treatment Outcome