A Subset of PD-1-Expressing CD56bright NK Cells Identifies Patients with Good Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Lung Cancer

Gascón-Ruiz, Marta ; Ramírez-Labrada, Ariel ; Lastra, Rodrigo ; Martínez-Lostao, Luis (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Paño-Pardo, J. Ramón (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Sesma, Andrea ; Zapata-García, María ; Moratiel, Alba ; Quílez, Elisa ; Torres-Ramón, Irene ; Yubero, Alfonso ; Domingo, María Pilar ; Esteban, Patricia ; Gálvez, Eva M. ; Pardo, Julián (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Isla, Dolores

Resumen: (1) Despite the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in lung cancer, there is a lack of knowledge about predictive biomarkers. The objective of our study is to analyze different subsets of T-lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells as predictive biomarkers in a cohort of patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with ICI. (2) This is an observational, prospective study with 55 NSCLC patients treated with ICI. A total of 43 T and NK cell subsets are analyzed in peripheral blood, including the main markers of exhaustion, differentiation, memory, activation, and inhibition. (3) Regarding the descriptive data, Granzyme B+CD4+ Treg lymphocytes stand out (median 17.4%), and within the NK populations, most patients presented cytotoxic NK cells (CD56+CD3−CD16+GranzymeB+; median 94.8%), and about half of them have highly differentiated adaptive-like NK cells (CD56+CD3−CD16+CD57+ (mean 59.8%). A statistically significant difference was observed between the expression of PD1 within the CD56bright NK cell subpopulation (CD56+CD3−CD16−PD-1+) (p = 0.047) and a better OS. (4) Circulating immune cell subpopulations are promising prognostic biomarkers for ICI. Pending on validation with a larger sample, here we provide an analysis of the major circulating T and NK cell subsets involved in cancer immunity, with promising results despite a small sample size.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.3390/cancers15020329

Año: 2023

Publicado en: Cancers 15, 2 (2023), 329 [19 pp.]
ISSN: 2072-6694

Factor impacto JCR: 4.5 (2023)

Categ. JCR: ONCOLOGY rank: 78 / 322 = 0.242 (2023) - Q1 - T1

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 8.0 - Oncology (Q1) - Cancer Research (Q2)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 1.391 - Oncology (Q1) - Cancer Research (Q2)

Tipo y forma: Artículo (Versión definitiva)

Área (Departamento): Área Inmunología (Dpto. Microb.Ped.Radio.Sal.Pú.)
Área (Departamento): Area Medicina (Dpto. Medicina, Psiqu. y Derm.)