ArticleAnnals of translational medicine2020
Prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in esophageal cancer: an updated meta-analysis of 30 studies with 5,122 patients.
Article in Annals of translational medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- The clinical importance of the host anti-tumour reaction patterns in regional tumour draining lymph nodes in patients with locally advanced resectable gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Gastric cancer : official journal of the International Gastric Cancer Association and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association · 2023Pooled it
- The density of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes in oesophago-gastric cancer varies with disease stage, geographical region and treatment: a post hoc analysis of nine phase III clinical trials.Gastric cancer : official journal of the International Gastric Cancer Association and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association · 2026Article
- Harnessing biomarkers to guide immunotherapy in esophageal cancer: toward precision oncology.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026Review
- The tumor microenvironment in esophageal cancer and its association with clinical features and neoadjuvant treatment response.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The biology and therapeutic implications of heterogeneity in Barrett oesophagus and oesophageal adenocarcinoma.Nature reviews. Clinical oncology · 2026Review
- The size of CD8+ infiltrating T cells is a prognostic marker for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Review
- Tertiary lymphoid structures in esophageal cancer: a novel target for immunotherapy.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Review
- Impacts of tumor microenvironment during neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Cancer science · 2024Article
- Article
- Cathepsin L promotes oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma development and may be associated with tumour-associated macrophages.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Advancing Esophageal Cancer Treatment: Immunotherapy in Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Settings.Cancers · 2024Review
- Association of Biological Age with Tumor Microenvironment in Patients with Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.Gerontology · 2024Article
- Article
- Role of Immunotherapy in Gastroesophageal Cancers-Advances, Challenges and Future Strategies.Cancers · 2023Review
- Tumor budding and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes can predict prognosis in pT1b esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Thoracic cancer · 2023Article
- IL-1β transgenic mouse model of inflammation driven esophageal and oral squamous cell carcinoma.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Identification and validation of fatty acid metabolism-related lncRNA signatures as a novel prognostic model for clear cell renal cell carcinoma.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe prognostic role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in esophageal cancer (EC) patients is controversial; therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to obtain a consensus.
methodsThe PubMed, PubMed Central, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using fixed effect or random effect models depending on the heterogeneity.
resultsA total of 30 articles comprising 5,122 patients were included in this meta-analysis. High levels of generalized TIL infiltration were associated with better overall survival (OS) (HR =0.67, 95% CI: 0.47-0.95, P=0.02) in EC patients. High CD8+ T-cell infiltration and high CD4+ T-cell infiltration were associated with better OS (HR =0.68, 95% CI: 0.60-0.78, P<0.001; HR =0.70, 95% CI: 0.57-0.85, P<0.001, respectively). However, the pooled results showed that neither CD3+ nor FOXP3+ T-cell infiltration were associated with patient survival (P>0.05). Moreover, for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), high CD8+ T lymphocyte infiltration in the TN (Tumor nest) or TS (Tumor stroma) significantly predicted better OS (pooled HR =0.70, 95% CI: 0.57-0.85; P=0.001; pooled HR =0.77, 95% CI: 0.65-0.91; P=0.003).
conclusionsHigh levels of generalized TILs, high CD8+ T-cell infiltration and high CD4+ T-cell infiltration have the potential to serve as prognostic markers in EC patients. Moreover, high CD8+ TIL in TNs or TS can predict better OS in ESCC patients.
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