Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41136735›Full record

ArticleEndocrine pathology2025

Digital Immunophenotyping of Lung Atypical Carcinoids and Large Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinomas Identifies Three Subtypes With Specific Tumor-Immune Microenvironment Features.

Giovanni Centonze, Patrick Maisonneuve, Émilie Mathian, Federica Grillo, Giovanna Sabella, Vincenzo Lagano, Alessandro Mangogna, Sara Pusceddu, Paola Bossi, Paola Spaggiari and 14 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Endocrine pathology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
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

24 authors.

Giovanni Centonze1 st Pathology Division, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
Patrick MaisonneuveDivision of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, European Institute of Oncology (IEO) IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Émilie MathianComputational Cancer Genomics Team, Genomic Epidemiology Branch (GEM), International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization (IARC/WHO), Lyon, France.
Federica GrilloUnit of Pathology, Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics, University of Genoa and Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.
Giovanna Sabella1 st Pathology Division, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
Vincenzo Lagano1 st Pathology Division, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
Alessandro MangognaInstitute of Pathological Anatomy, Department of Medicine, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
Sara PuscedduMedical Oncology Department, Fondazione IRCCS, Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
Paola BossiPathology Department, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Humanitas Milan ENETS Center of Excellence, Milan, Italy.
Paola SpaggiariPathology Department, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Humanitas Milan ENETS Center of Excellence, Milan, Italy.
Alessandro Del GobboDivision of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
Stefano FerreroDivision of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
Luigi RolliThoracic Surgery Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy.
Ugo PastorinoThoracic Surgery Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy.
Luisa BercichDepartment of Pathology, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Andrea TironiDepartment of Pathology, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Mauro Roberto BenvenutiThoracic Surgery Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties Radiological Sciences and Public Health, Medical Oncology, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Maria Sole GallazziThoracic Surgery Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties Radiological Sciences and Public Health, Medical Oncology, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Rosalia RomanoThoracic Surgery Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties Radiological Sciences and Public Health, Medical Oncology, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Alfredo BerrutiMedical Oncology Unit, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Luca RozEpigenomics and Biomarkers of Solid Tumors , Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy.
Carlo CapellaDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
Matthieu FollComputational Cancer Genomics Team, Genomic Epidemiology Branch (GEM), International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization (IARC/WHO), Lyon, France.
Massimo Milione1 st Pathology Division, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy. massimo.milione@istitutotumori.mi.it.

Funding

Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori di Milano 5 × 1,000 funds - 2014 MIUR - grant "Integrative molecular analysis of pure and combined lung large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC)"Italian Ministry of Health ERP-2017-23671129 "PMTR-pNET"World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Atypical carcinoids (ACs) and large cell neuroendocrine carcinomas (LCNECs) are defined by the WHO as intermediate- and high-grade lung neuroendocrine neoplasms, respectively, based on morphological criteria; however, treatment strategies remain debated. Given the emerging role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in cancer prognosis and therapy response, this study aimed to characterize the immune landscape of ACs and LCNECs comprehensively. Immunohistochemistry for T-cell markers (CD3, CD8), immune checkpoints (PD-1, PD-L1), HLA molecules (HLA-DR, HLA-I), and fibroblasts (α-SMA) was performed on a re-evaluated cohort of 56 ACs and 104 LCNECs. Digital image analysis quantified intra-tumor (iTILs) and stromal (sTILs) CD3 and CD8 TILs in the whole slide and in specific tumor regions (invasive margin [IM] and central tumor [CT]). LCNECs exhibited significantly higher stromal T-cell infiltration, immune checkpoint expression, and HLA compared to ACs (p < 0.001), while α-SMA was more prominent in ACs. No ACs showed PD-L1 tumor expression. Digital quantification confirmed greater iTILs and sTILs in LCNECs across all regions, with moderate concordance to manual counts. Interestingly, TIL parameters were higher at the IM than in the CT (p < 0.001). Using Boruta feature selection algorithm, Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Clustering, three patient clusters were identified: Cluster 1 (mainly ACs, low TILs, favorable prognosis), Cluster 2 (mixed histology, intermediate TILs, moderate prognosis), and Cluster 3 (mostly LCNECs, high TILs, poor prognosis), with distinct TME marker profiles. PD-L1 tumor expression was strongly linked to Cluster 3. These findings suggest that ACs and LCNECs may be stratified into three distinct immune clusters, highlighting the heterogeneity of their tumor microenvironment and providing a rationale for further translational studies.

Indexed as

Carcinoid TumorCarcinoma, Large CellCarcinoma, NeuroendocrineLung NeoplasmsTumor MicroenvironmentAdultAgedBiomarkers, TumorFemaleHumansImmunohistochemistryImmunophenotypingLymphocytes, Tumor-InfiltratingMaleMiddle AgedBiomarkers, TumorAtypical carcinoidDigital immunophenotypingImmune clusteringLarge cell neuroendocrine carcinomasTumor-infiltrating lymphocyteTumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID41136735
PMCPMC12552328

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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.