Prognostic value of tumor infiltrating NK cells and macrophages in stage II+III esophageal cancer patients

// Bin Xu 1, 2, * , Lujun Chen 1, 2, * , Jing Li 1, 2, * , Xiao Zheng 1, 2 , Liangrong Shi 1, 2, 3 , Changping Wu 1, 2, 3 , Jingting Jiang 1, 2 1 Department of Tumor Biological Treatment, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu Changzhou 213003, China 2 Research Center for Cancer Immunotherapy Technology of Jiangsu Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu Changzhou 213003, China 3 Department of Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu Changzhou 213003, China * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Jingting Jiang, email: jiangjingting@suda.edu.cn Keywords: tumor microenvironment, tumor infiltrating immune cells, NK cells, macrophages, esophageal cancer Received: March 09, 2016 Accepted: September 17, 2016 Published: October 05, 2016 ABSTRACT The detailed understanding of the immunobiology of tumor microenvironment has recently translated into new therapeutic approach against human cancers. Besides the role of immune cells mediating adaptive immune responses, the tumor infiltrating components of the innate immune system including, neutrophils, mast cells, NK cells, and macrophages, also role importantly in anti-tumor immunity. In our present study, we retrospectively analyzed the prognostic value of the densities of tumor infiltrating NK cells and macrophages in esophageal cancer tissues derived from stage II+III patients. Our results showed that the density of the infiltrating NK cells in tumor stroma was significantly associated with nodal status. In addition, the densities of the infiltrating NK cells in tumor nest, and the infiltrating macrophages in tumor nest as well as in tumor stroma, were significantly associated with patients’ postoperative prognoses. Furthermore, the combination of infiltrating NK cells in tumor nest and stroma, or the combination of infiltrating macrophages in tumor nest and stroma, could also be used as important prognostic tool in predicting the survival of the stage II+III esophageal cancer patients.