The immune contexture of primary and metastatic human tumours

NA Giraldo, E Becht, R Remark, D Damotte… - Current opinion in …, 2014 - Elsevier
Current opinion in immunology, 2014Elsevier
Highlights•The immune contexture is a powerful tool to predict patient's clinical
outcome.•Chronic inflammation can foster cancer development and tumour growth.•An
adaptive immune response predicts longer survival in most cancers with some exceptions
such as kidney cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma.•Immune contexture can be strongly
influenced by tumour-originating factors.•Immune contexture is preserved during the
metastatic process and conserves its prognostic value.A tumour grows in a complex …
Highlights
  • The immune contexture is a powerful tool to predict patient's clinical outcome.
  • Chronic inflammation can foster cancer development and tumour growth.
  • An adaptive immune response predicts longer survival in most cancers with some exceptions such as kidney cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma.
  • Immune contexture can be strongly influenced by tumour-originating factors.
  • Immune contexture is preserved during the metastatic process and conserves its prognostic value.
A tumour grows in a complex microenvironment composed of stromal cells, lymphoid and myeloid cells, vascular and lymphatic vessels, and the resultant cytokine and chemokine milieu. In most primary tumours, a strong Th1/cytotoxic T cells infiltration correlates with a longer survival. This beneficial effect can be hampered by the presence of M2 polarized macrophages and high VEGF production. Recent studies revealed that the pattern of the tumour microenvironment remains a major prognostic factor even in the metastatic lesions, while been reproducible between the primary and metastatic tumour. Nevertheless the prognostic impact of the Th1/cytotoxic T cell infiltrate could be different according to the origin of the primary tumour. This model highlights a novel tumour cell-dependent immune contexture that predicts patient's clinical outcome and has implications in the use of immunotherapies.
Elsevier