Abstract
Primary liver cancer (PLC) is one of the most common malignancies in China, where it ranks second in mortality and fifth in morbidity. Currently, liver transplantation, hepatic tumor resection, radiofrequency ablation, and molecular-targeted agents are the major treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Overall, HCC has a poor survival rate and a high recurrence rate. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have been discovered to play essential roles in the development, prognosis, and immunotherapy treatment of HCC. As the major component cells of TILs, T cells are also proved to show antitumor and protumor effects in HCC. Foxp3+, CD8+, CD3+, and CD4+ T lymphocytes are the broadly studied subgroups of TILs. This article reviews the roles and mechanisms of different tumor-infiltrating T lymphocyte subtypes in HCC.
Highlights
According to the International Agency of Research on Cancer of World Health Organization report, primary liver cancer (PLC) posed a severe threat to people’s life and health, with an estimated 906,000 new cases and 830,000 deaths globally in 2020 [1]
There are three main pathological types of PLC, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CC), and combined HCC/CC. They vary in pathogenesis, biological behavior, histological morphology, treatment, and prognosis
A recent study found that the mortality rate of the high Forkhead box protein P3 (Foxp3) +/ CD4+ Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) ratio group was 3.5 times higher than that of the low ratio group after observing the distribution of immune cells of 57 HCC patients in tumor tissue and peritumor tissue and the correlation of immune cells with clinical outcome
Summary
According to the International Agency of Research on Cancer of World Health Organization report, primary liver cancer (PLC) posed a severe threat to people’s life and health, with an estimated 906,000 new cases and 830,000 deaths globally in 2020 [1]. Sideras et al reported that patients with a low density of CD8+ TILs survived poorly after analyzing stored formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded HCC tissue samples from 154 patients using immunohistochemical analysis, which was confirmed in their validation cohort [42] This result suggested that CD8+ TILs with high expression had a positive prognostic role. A recent study found that the mortality rate of the high Foxp3 +/ CD4+ TIL ratio group was 3.5 times higher than that of the low ratio group after observing the distribution of immune cells of 57 HCC patients in tumor tissue and peritumor tissue and the correlation of immune cells with clinical outcome. Mathai’s group discovered that a high Foxp3 +/CD8+TIL ratio was correlated with poor tumor differentiation, high recurrence, poor overall survival, and disease-free survival in post-surgery HCC patients [52]. INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TUMORINFILTRATING T LYMPHOCYTES AND OTHER IMMUNE CELLS IN HCC
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call