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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1536722

Clinical Significance of T Cell Infiltration and Immune Checkpoint Expression in Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumors

Provisionally accepted
Jiajun Zhou Jiajun Zhou 1,2Wenhao An Wenhao An 1Lei Guan Lei Guan 1,2Jin-Yu Shi Jin-Yu Shi 2Qiaozhen Qin Qiaozhen Qin 2Shuai Zhong Shuai Zhong 1Zheng Huang Zheng Huang 1Rui Liu Rui Liu 1Chenxing Wu Chenxing Wu 1Zhong Ma Zhong Ma 3Qi Xueling Qi Xueling 3Xiao-Xia Jiang Xiao-Xia Jiang 2yan wang yan wang 2*Shouwei Li Shouwei Li 1*
  • 1 Department of Neurosurgery, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
  • 2 Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
  • 3 Department of Pathology, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

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

    Primary central nervous system germ cell tumors (CNS GCTs) are rare intracranial malignancies, and their tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in tumor progression. This study investigated the immune microenvironment of CNS GCTs by analyzing T cell subsets (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, Foxp3+) and immune checkpoint expression (CTLA-4, PD-1, PD-L1) in 93 tissue samples from 90 patients. The results revealed that germinomas exhibited significantly higher infiltration of CD4+ and Foxp3+ T cells compared to nongerminomatous GCTs (NGGCTs). Additionally, CTLA-4 expression was detected in 58.06% of cases, while PD-1 and PD-L1 were expressed in over 90%, with higher CTLA-4 levels in germinomas and elevated PD-L1 levels in NGGCTs. T cell infiltration was positively correlated with immune checkpoint expression, particularly in germinomas. The results also highlighted the strong immunosuppressive nature of the CNS GCTs' tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, T cell infiltration and immune checkpoint expression were closely associated with clinical characteristics and prognosis. Notably, PD-1 expression was identified as an independent prognostic factor for progression-free survival (PFS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), suggesting that immune checkpoint inhibitors especially targeting PD-1 may offer a promising therapeutic approach for CNS GCTs.

    Keywords: Germ cell tumor, Tumor Microenvironment, Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TILs), Immune checkpoint, Foxp3, CTLA-4, PD-1, PD-L1

    Received: 29 Nov 2024; Accepted: 14 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Zhou, An, Guan, Shi, Qin, Zhong, Huang, Liu, Wu, Ma, Xueling, Jiang, wang and Li. 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:
    yan wang, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
    Shouwei Li, Department of Neurosurgery, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100093, China

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