Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38515134›Full record

ReviewMolecular cancer2024

CTLs heterogeneity and plasticity: implications for cancer immunotherapy.

Shengkun Peng, Anqi Lin, Aimin Jiang, Cangang Zhang, Jian Zhang, Quan Cheng, Peng Luo, Yifeng Bai

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Molecular cancer, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 74 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
74citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
22.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

74 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 94 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Research progress on T-cell responses inFrontiers in microbiology · 2026
    Pooled it
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  3. Review
  4. Article
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  11. Cytotoxic CD4Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026
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  13. Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
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14 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Shengkun Peng *Department of Radiology, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Anqi Lin *Department of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, Guangdong, China.
Aimin Jiang *Department of Urology, Changhai hospital, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China.
Cangang Zhang *Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and ImmunologySchool of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China.
Jian ZhangDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, Guangdong, China.
Quan ChengDepartment of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China. chengquan@csu.edu.cn.
Peng LuoDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, Guangdong, China. luopeng@smu.edu.cn.
Yifeng BaiDepartment of Oncology, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. baiyifeng@med.uestc.edu.cn.
Southern Medical University · CNUniversity of Electronic Science and Technology of China · CNNational Clinical Research · USSecond Military Medical University · CNXi'an Jiaotong University · CNZhujiang Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play critical antitumor roles, encompassing diverse subsets including CD4+, NK, and γδ T cells beyond conventional CD8+ CTLs. However, definitive CTLs biomarkers remain elusive, as cytotoxicity-molecule expression does not necessarily confer cytotoxic capacity. CTLs differentiation involves transcriptional regulation by factors such as T-bet and Blimp-1, although epigenetic regulation of CTLs is less clear. CTLs promote tumor killing through cytotoxic granules and death receptor pathways, but may also stimulate tumorigenesis in some contexts. Given that CTLs cytotoxicity varies across tumors, enhancing this function is critical. This review summarizes current knowledge on CTLs subsets, biomarkers, differentiation mechanisms, cancer-related functions, and strategies for improving cytotoxicity. Key outstanding questions include refining the CTLs definition, characterizing subtype diversity, elucidating differentiation and senescence pathways, delineating CTL-microbe relationships, and enabling multi-omics profiling. A more comprehensive understanding of CTLs biology will facilitate optimization of their immunotherapy applications. Overall, this review synthesizes the heterogeneity, regulation, functional roles, and enhancement strategies of CTLs in antitumor immunity, highlighting gaps in our knowledge of subtype diversity, definitive biomarkers, epigenetic control, microbial interactions, and multi-omics characterization. Addressing these questions will refine our understanding of CTLs immunology to better leverage cytotoxic functions against cancer.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsT-Lymphocytes, CytotoxicBiomarkersEpigenesis, GeneticHumansImmunotherapyBiomarkersBiomarkersCTLsCytotoxicCytotoxic T lymphocytesTumor immune microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID38515134
PMCPMC10956324
OpenAlexW4393046730

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.