Abstract Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) facilitate tumor microenvironment immune interactions. While TLSs and their associated gene signatures correlate with better response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), the complex transcriptomic interplay/co-regulation among these factors remains under investigation. We analyzed correlations between survival and transcriptome expression (35 immunoregulatory factors associated with B/T cells and TLSs) in 217 patients with ICI-treated solid tumors. Denser correlations among B/T cell markers, immune checkpoints, and TLS-related molecules was associated with longer survival. High CXCL13 (B-lymphocyte chemoattractant) expression correlated with longer overall survival (hazard ratio HR 0.46 95% CI: 0.27–0.81, p = 0.006) in 217 ICI-treated patients but not in 272 ICI-naïve patients (HR 0.85 0.52–1.40, p = 0.519), suggesting its potential predictive/ICI-related, rather than prognostic, value. Overall, patients with highly coordinated T- and B-cell activity, checkpoints, and TLS-related molecules, and higher CXCL13 expression demonstrated prolonged survival after ICIs. Comprehensive multiomics and tumor immunomic profiling may better predict outcome after immunotherapy.
Fujiwara et al. (Tue,) studied this question.