Prognostic implications and characterization of tumor-associated tertiary lymphoid structures genes in pancreatic cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the most aggressive cancers, with rising incidence and limited responsiveness to immunotherapy due to its highly suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), ectopic formation structures of immune cells, are linked to better prognosis and improved immunotherapy responses in PDAC. Understanding TLS's role in PDAC could enhance immunotherapy effectiveness.

Methods

This study integrated transcriptomic and clinical data from 310 PDAC patients in GEO database. We performed consensus clustering using tumor-associated TLS (TA-TLS) genes, identifying three distinct molecular subtypes. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was then employed to calculate a TLS score for each pati

SUBMITTER: Zhang E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11892293 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature