PD1 and CD39 expression on tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in patients with gastric cancer.

Authors

null

Takafumi Okayama

National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan

Takafumi Okayama , Nobuo Tsukamoto , Toshihiro Suzuki , Kiyotaka Mochizuki , Junichi Sano , Hiromi Nagata , Daiki Terajima , Takumi Habu , Mitsumasa Yoshida , Kazuma Sato , Naoto Fujiwara , Masahiro Yura , Takeo Fujita , Manami Shimomura , Kazunobu Oonuki , Kyoko Fukuda , Yasushi Uemura , Tetsuya Nakatsura , Takahiro Kinoshita

Organizations

National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan, Gastric Surgery Division, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan, Division of Esophageal Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan, Radiation Oncology Division, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan, Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research & Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan, Department of Gastric Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan

Research Funding

No funding sources reported

Background: Activation and clonal expansion of tumor antigen-specific T cells in cancer patients are crucial for immunotherapies. Recent reports indicate that CD39 is a marker to distinguish tumor-reactive CD8 T cell populations from bystander populations. In gastric cancer (GC), anti-CD39 antibody, anti-PD-1 antibody, and FOLFOX combination therapy may be effective therapy at AACR 2022. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 62 GC patients who underwent gastrectomy at our hospital (2017 - 2018) and examined their rejected specimen’s immune-microenvironment using immunohistochemistry. Then we prospectively enrolled 16 GC patients. Their tumor tissue and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were extracted from surgical specimens, these fractions were subjected to the RNA-seq analysis (n = 3), CD107a degranulation assay (n = 7) and 3H-Thymidine incorporation assay (n = 7). Results: The densities of CD39+CD8 TILs positively correlated with the densities of CD4 T cells and B-cells in GC tissues (P = 0.01, < 0.01, respectively). Furthermore, higher densities of CD39+CD8 TILs in GC patients were associated with better overall survival (P< 0.01). We classified TILs into four groups based on expression levels of the PD-1 and CD39. The proportion of CD39+CD8 T cells was significantly higher in GC tissues than their PBMCs (n = 13) and non-cancerous tissues (n = 4). CD39+PD-1+CD8 (DP) TILs in primary tumors were elevated expression of multiple inhibitory receptors such as LAG3, TIGIT and reduced expression of IL-2 by RNA-seq analysis. T cells expanded in vitro from DP-TILs (n = 5) efficiently recognized autologous tumor cells in CD107a assay compared with other populations, and considered to be tumor-reactive T cells fraction. However, since these DP TILs in primary tumors show exhausted phenotypes, capacities to kill tumor are expected to be reduced in the tumor-microenvironment (TME). By adding ATP to the DP-TILs in vitro at the concentration reported in the TME, we observed reduction of cell proliferation by 3H-thymidene incorporation assay and of degranulation by CD107a assay, and we observed recovery of these changes by adding anti-CD39 inhibitory antibody. Conclusions: DP-TILs may have superior T cell receptors recognizing tumor-antigens and contribute to tumor eradication, especially when administrated anti-CD39 antibody.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2024 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Poster Session A: Cancers of the Esophagus and Stomach and Other Gastrointestinal Cancers

Track

Esophageal and Gastric Cancer,Other GI Cancer

Sub Track

Translational Research

Citation

J Clin Oncol 42, 2024 (suppl 3; abstr 377)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2024.42.3_suppl.377

Abstract #

377

Poster Bd #

H19

Abstract Disclosures

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