Immunotherapy response induces divergent tertiary lymphoid structure morphologies in hepatocellular carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are associated with improved response in solid tumors treated with immune checkpoint blockade, but understanding of the prognostic and predictive value of TLS and the circumstances of their resolution is incomplete. Here we show that in hepatocellular carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant immunotherapy, high intratumoral TLS density at the time of surgery is associated with pathologic response and improved relapse-free survival. In areas of tumor regression, we identify a noncanonical involuted morphology of TLS marked by dispersion of the B cell follicle, persistence of a T cell zone enriched for T cell-mature dendritic cell interactions and increased expression of T cell memory markers. Collectively, these data suggest that TLS can serve as both a prognost

SUBMITTER: Shu DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12042221 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature