Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41051631›Full record

ArticleCancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII2025

Tumor-draining lymph nodes respond to immune checkpoint inhibition and orchestrate tumor immune remodeling.

Jinzhu Zhang, Jian Ma, Yaru Niu, Jialiang Liu, Zhexue Wang, Jinyuan Guo, Yongsheng Meng, Ruifang Sun, Zhen Zhang, Haiyi Liu and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
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

14 authors.

Jinzhu ZhangDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 17 Panjiayuan South Lane, Chaoyang, Beijing, 100021, China.
Jian MaDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 17 Panjiayuan South Lane, Chaoyang, Beijing, 100021, China.
Yaru NiuDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 17 Panjiayuan South Lane, Chaoyang, Beijing, 100021, China.
Jialiang LiuDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 17 Panjiayuan South Lane, Chaoyang, Beijing, 100021, China.
Zhexue WangDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 17 Panjiayuan South Lane, Chaoyang, Beijing, 100021, China.
Jinyuan GuoShanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China.
Yongsheng MengDepartment of Tumor Biobank, Shanxi Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, China.
Ruifang SunDepartment of Tumor Biobank, Shanxi Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, China.
Zhen ZhangDepartment of Pathology, Shanxi Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, China.
Haiyi LiuDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, Shanxi Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, China.
Juan XuCollege of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China.
Likun ZanDepartment of Pathology, Shanxi Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, China. zanlikun@hotmail.com.
Xu GuanDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 17 Panjiayuan South Lane, Chaoyang, Beijing, 100021, China. drguanxu@163.com.
Xishan WangDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 17 Panjiayuan South Lane, Chaoyang, Beijing, 100021, China. wxshan_1208@126.com.

Funding

Beijing Physician Scientist Training Project BJPSTP-2024-02Natural Science Foundation of Science and Technology Department of Shanxi Province 202303021211232the National Key R&D Program for Young Scientists 2022YFC2505700the National Natural Science Foundation of China 82473407the Science and Education Cultivation Fund of the National Cancer and Regional Medical Centre of Shanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital TD2023001, BD2023002, and SD2023034
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors have traditionally been understood to exert their effects primarily within the tumor microenvironment, particularly targeting CD8 + T cells. However, recent studies have highlighted a pivotal role of tumor-draining lymph nodes in mediating responses to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. This study aimed to elucidate the specific mechanisms by which tumor-draining lymph nodes respond to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and regulate the tumor microenvironment in human colorectal cancer.

methodsWe performed single-cell RNA sequencing and T cell receptor sequencing on tumor-draining lymph nodes and tumor tissues from patients with colorectal cancer. Through in-depth analysis of the single-cell data, we established the connection between TDLNs and tumor, and explored the impact of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy on the immune microenvironment of tumor-draining lymph nodes. In addition, we conducted animal experiments to validate these findings.

resultsOur findings revealed that immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment induced the expansion of tumor-specific CD8 + effector memory T cells within tumor-draining lymph nodes, which may serve as a source for the progenitor-exhausted CD8 + T cells in the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, conventional dendritic cells type 1 and macrophages within tumor-draining lymph nodes facilitated this process. We also observed that immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy promoted the expansion of tumor-specific CD4 + follicular helper T cells in tumor-draining lymph nodes, which may explain the increase of CD4 + follicular helper T cells in the tumor microenvironment after immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. These hypotheses were corroborated through experiments in mice.

conclusionsOur findings delineate the critical regulatory function of tumor-draining lymph nodes in modulating the tumor microenvironment during Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsLymph NodesTumor MicroenvironmentAnimalsCD8-Positive T-LymphocytesFemaleHumansMiceMice, Inbred C57BLImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsColorectal cancerImmune checkpoint inhibitionTumor-draining lymph nodes

Identifiers

PMID41051631
PMCPMC12501088

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Registered trials

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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.