T Cell Exhaustion and Dendritic Cell-Mediated Tertiary Lymphoid Structures (TLSs) Modulation Affect Response to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Microsatellite Stable Rectal Cancer.

ABSTRACT: Locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) presents significant treatment challenges, particularly in microsatellite stable (MSS) patients, who often show limited response to immunotherapy. In these cases, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (neoCRT) followed by surgery remains the recommended approach. However, the response to neoCRT varies significantly among LARC patients. In this study, the role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is explored, focusing on early-stage exhausted T cells (early-Tex) and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), in predicting neoCRT response in MSS LARC. Through multi-omics analyses, it is found that immune features of the TME, rather than mutational status, are more closely associated with treatment response. Within the TME, it is observed that early-Tex cells, a subset w

SUBMITTER: Wang M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12822459 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature