Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42420747›Full record

ArticleClinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico2026

Revealing the dynamics of follicular T cells and checkpoint engagement in surgically resected colorectal cancer and their relations to clinicopathological aspects.

Asmaa M Zahran, Nahla M Elsherbiny, Alshimaa G Abdelhakeem, Amal Rayan, Zainab Gaber Mahran, Ahmed Khalid Ibrahim Elsayh, Emad Saad, Ahmed Refaat, Radwan Abdelsabour, Doaa A Gamal and 4 more

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Article in Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Asmaa M ZahranDepartment of Clinical Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Nahla M ElsherbinyDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt. nahlaelsherbiny@aun.edu.eg.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5431-6583
Alshimaa G AbdelhakeemDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, New Valley University, New Valley, Egypt.
Amal RayanClinical Oncology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Zainab Gaber MahranDepartment of Gastroenterology and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Ahmed Khalid Ibrahim ElsayhFaculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Emad SaadDepartment of Surgical Oncology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Ahmed RefaatDepartment of Medical Oncology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Radwan AbdelsabourDepartment of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Doaa A GamalClinical Oncology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Wageeh A AliDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Zeinab Albadry M ZahranClinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Hossam ElashmawyClinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.
Shimaa Gafar MansorDepartment of Clinical Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFollicular T cells contribute to B-cell responses and antitumor immunity, yet their immune checkpoint expression and role in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain insufficiently characterized. We evaluated the distribution, activation status, and checkpoint expression of follicular helper and follicular cytotoxic T-cell subsets (Tfh and Tfc) in CRC patients and their association with clinicopathological features.

methodsThirty-three CRC patients and 25 healthy controls were recruited from South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University. Flow cytometry was used to assess follicular T-cell subsets and their expression of inducible T-cell costimulatory (ICOS), T-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT) and V-domain Ig Suppressor of T-cell Activation (VISTA).

resultsTfh and Tfc cells were significantly increased in peripheral blood of CRC patients compared with controls (p < 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively). Their frequencies were higher in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) than in normal colonic tissue (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001) and peripheral blood (p < 0.001). Their ICOS expression was significantly elevated in patients' blood (p = 0.008 and p = 0.04) and highest in TIL (p = 0.02) compared to the normal tissue and peripheral blood of patients (p < 0.001). TIGIT⁺VISTA⁺ follicular T-cell subsets were significantly expanded in the peripheral blood of patients, with peak expression in TILs (p < 0.001).

conclusionsFollicular T cells are enriched and highly activated in CRC, particularly within the tumor microenvironment. The predominance of TIGIT

Indexed as

Colorectal cancerICOSImmune checkpointsT follicular cellsTIGITVISTA

Identifiers

PMID42420747

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