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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1476365
This article is part of the Research Topic Role of ncRNAs in Immunogenic Cell Death of Cancer View all articles

Prognostic Implications of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Provisionally accepted
Qin Yan Qin Yan 1,2Shuai Li Shuai Li 3Lang He Lang He 2*Nianyong Chen Nianyong Chen 1*
  • 1 Department of Head and Neck Oncology, and Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 2 Department of Oncology, Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 3 School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have demonstrated potential as prognostic biomarkers across various cancer types. However, their prognostic implications in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain ambiguous. Methods: An exhaustive electronic search was executed across the Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases to locate relevant studies published up until December 19, 2023. Studies were eligible if they assessed the association between TILs and overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in NSCLC patients. The OS and DFS were subsequently extracted for analysis. The prognostic significance of TILs was evaluated by calculating the Pooled Hazard Ratios (HRs) and their corresponding 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs). Results: The meta-analysis incorporated 60 studies, which collectively included 15829 NSCLC patients. The collective analysis indicated that NSCLC patients exhibiting TILs infiltration demonstrated a significantly improved OS(HR: 0.67; 95%CI: 0.55-0.81). Subgroup analyses, based on TIL subtypes (CD8+, CD3+ and CD4+), consistently revealed a favorable prognostic impact on OS. However, it was observed that FOXP3+ was correlated with a poor OS (HR: 1.35; 95% CI: 0.87-2.11). Conclusion: This comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis substantiate the prognostic significance of TILs in patients diagnosed with NSCLC. Notably, elevated TILs infiltration correlates with a favorable prognosis, particularly among CD8+, CD3+ and CD4+ subtypes.

    Keywords: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, Non-small cell lung cancer, Prognostic value, Systematic review, Meta-analysis

    Received: 05 Aug 2024; Accepted: 02 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yan, Li, He and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Lang He, Department of Oncology, Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
    Nianyong Chen, Department of Head and Neck Oncology, and Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

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