Abstract
The prognostic impact of human leukocyte antigen-E (HLA-E) expression and the proportion of natural killer (NK) cells in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) was investigated. This study retrospectively evaluated 397 ESCC patients across two centers. The cumulative incidence of recurrence (CIR) and the incidence of tumor-related death (CID) were analyzed in various groups. An immunosuppression score (ISS) was developed based on HLA-E expression and NK cell proportion. Differences between groups were adjusted using inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW). The factors influencing cancer-specific survival (CSS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were also examined. Patients with low HLA-E expression had significantly higher five-year CIR and CID compared to those with high expression (CIR: 20.7% vs. 45.1%, CID: 19.3% vs. 40.1%; p< 0.001). Similarly, NK cell-positive patients had significantly better five-year CIR and CID than NK cell-negative patients (CIR: 16.3% vs. 59.6%, CID: 13.9% vs. 53.7%; p < 0.001). The Sankey diagram indicated that the low ISS group had a lower recurrence and tumor-related mortality rate (p < 0.05). After IPTW adjustment, the low ISS group showed improved five-year RFS (80.1% vs. 35.4%, p < 0.001) and five-year CSS (82.3% vs. 42.5%, p < 0.001) compared to the high ISS group. ESCC with different ISS statuses represents two distinct biological subtypes, underscoring the need for personalized treatment strategies tailored to varying tumor behaviors.
Published Version
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