Galon 2006: the type, density and location of immune cells in colorectal tumours predict outcome
Counting the T cells inside a bowel cancer and at its edge predicted whether the cancer would return better than the traditional stage did, the discovery behind the Immunoscore test.
Overview
Galon and colleagues analysed immune cells in tumours from 415 patients with colorectal cancer using gene expression and tissue microarrays. A strong presence of adaptive immune cells, in particular CD3, CD8, CD45RO memory and granzyme B-positive cytotoxic T cells, in both the tumour centre and the invasive margin was associated with a much lower rate of early metastasis and longer survival, independently of and more strongly than the TNM stage. The finding led to the standardised Immunoscore, validated internationally in 2018.
- Immune profiling of colorectal tumours from 415 patients by gene expression and tissue microarrays.
- Tumours without signs of early metastatic invasion had higher densities of adaptive immune cells, especially memory and cytotoxic T cells.
- High densities of CD3, CD8 and CD45RO cells in both the tumour centre and invasive margin predicted longer disease-free and overall survival, independently of TNM stage.
This paper showed that the immune response to a cancer is part of its prognosis, not background noise, and it introduced the idea of the immune contexture that underlies both the Immunoscore and the biomarker work in immunotherapy.
- A single-centre cohort at the time; the Immunoscore was validated in a later international study.
- Immunoscore is not yet part of routine staging in most countries.
Similar pages
not linked directly; found by shared links- Key paperSchreiber, Old and Smyth 2011: cancer immunoediting
Shares Thorsson 2018: the immune landscape of cancer across 10,000 tumours, Immune system.
- InstitutionNottingham University Hospitals Cancer Centre (City Hospital)
Shares Prognosis, Colorectal cancer.
- Key paperAllemani 2018: CONCORD-3, global surveillance of cancer survival 2000 to 2014
Shares Prognosis, Colorectal cancer.
- Key paperCoussens and Werb 2002: inflammation and cancer
Shares Immune system, Colorectal cancer.
- TermT cell
Shares Immune system, Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).
- PathwayTumour microenvironment (TME)
Shares Immune system, Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).