Tonsillar Cancer with High CD8⁺ T-Cell Infiltration Features Increased Levels of Dendritic Cells and Transcriptional Regulation Associated with an Inflamed Tumor Microenvironment.

ABSTRACT: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main causal agent of tonsillar cancer (TC) and HPV⁺ TC has a favorable prognosis compared to HPV^- disease. In this study, we examined aspects of the tumor microenvironment of TC, focusing on T-cells, dendritic cells (DC), and macrophages. Fresh biopsies of TC and the contralateral healthy tonsil (HT) were obtained from 20 patients, analyzed by multiparameter flow cytometry, and assessed against a detailed HPV-status. Additionally, RNA-sequencing data from 38 TC samples available in the public database, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), were explored, focusing on the same leukocyte populations. HPV⁺ TC featured increased levels of CD8⁺ T-cells and antigen-presenting cells (cf. HPV^- TC and HT, respectively

SUBMITTER: Jimenez DG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8582523 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature