Tumor-draining Lymph Nodes Demonstrate a Suppressive Immunophenotype in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Assessed by Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration: A Pilot Study

There is increasing awareness of the role of the tumor-draining lymph node (TDLN) as an early site of both immune activation and evasion by non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) 1,2. While there have been tremendous advances in our understanding of the dynamic process of immunoediting in the tumor microenvironment and its prognostic significance, less is known about changes in effector and regulatory mechanisms at the level of the TDLN 3 –7. There are several features of both the tumor and TDLN that attenuate effective immune activation, including defects in antigen presentation, induction of anergy in effector T cells, an increase in regulatory T cells (Treg) and increased expression of tolerogenic cytokines 2,4,8,9.

Source: Lung Cancer - August 12, 2019 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Vivek Murthy, Daniel P. Katzman, Jun-Chieh J. Tsay, Jamie L. Bessich, Gaetane C. Michaud, Samaan Rafeq, Janna Minehart, Keshav Mangalick, M. A. Curotto de Lafaille, Chandra Goparaju, Harvey Pass, Daniel H. Sterman Source Type: research