Meshack Bida
1*
Thabiso V. Miya
2
Rodney Hull
2
Zodwa Dlamini
2*The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.
REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 15 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1497522
This article is part of the Research Topic Precision Oncology in Checkpoint Immunotherapy: Leveraging Predictive Biomarkers for Personalized Treatment View all 3 articles
Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Melanoma: From Prognostic Assessment to Therapeutic Applications
Provisionally accepted- 1 Anatomical Pathology, National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
- 2 Medical Oncology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Malignant melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer, is characterized by unpredictable growth patterns, and its mortality rate has remained alarmingly high over recent decades, despite various treatment approaches. One promising strategy for improving outcomes in melanoma patients lies in the early use of biomarkers to predict prognosis. Biomarkers offer a way to gauge patient outlook early in the disease course, facilitating timely, targeted intervention. In recent years, considerable attention has been given to the immune response's role in melanoma, given the tumor's high immunogenicity and potential responsiveness to immunologic treatments. Researchers are focusing on identifying predictive biomarkers by examining both cancer cell biology and immune interactions within the tumor microenvironment. This approach has shed light on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), a type of immune cell found within the tumor. TILs have emerged as a promising area of study for their potential to serve as both a prognostic indicator and therapeutic target in melanoma. The presence of TILs in melanoma tissue can often signal a positive immune response to the cancer, with numerous studies suggesting that TILs may improve patient prognosis. This review delves into the prognostic value of TILs in melanoma, assessing how these immune cells influence patient outcomes. It explores the mechanisms through which TILs interact with melanoma cells and the potential clinical applications of leveraging TILs in treatment strategies. While TILs present a hopeful avenue for prognostication and treatment, there are still challenges. These include understanding the full extent of TIL dynamics within the tumor microenvironment and overcoming limitations in TIL-based therapies. Advancements in TIL characterization methods are also critical to refining TIL-based approaches. By addressing these hurdles, TIL-focused research may pave the way for improved diagnostic and therapeutic options, ultimately offering better outcomes for melanoma patients.
Keywords: Melanoma, Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, prognosis, Adoptive cell therapy (ACT), Immunotherapy, Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), CD8+, CD4+
Received: 17 Sep 2024; Accepted: 04 Nov 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Bida, Miya, Hull and Dlamini. 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:
Meshack Bida, Anatomical Pathology, National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
Zodwa Dlamini, Medical Oncology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
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