Abstract:
Objective To investigate the relationship between the maturity of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in colon cancer tissues and clinical pathological features as well as prognosis.
Methods The clinical data of 162 patients with colon cancer from January 2022 to January 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into the TLS-positive group (n=124) and the TLS-negative group (n=38) based on the presence or absence of TLS in the tumor stroma. The TLS-positive group was further divided into the mature TLS (SFL-TLS) group (n=65) and the immature TLS (non-SFL-TLS) group (n=59) according to the histological morphology and functional structure integrity of TLS. Baseline data of the patients were collected, and the TLS structure was evaluated by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Survival differences were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Log-Rank test. Independent factors affecting overall survival (OS) were analyzed using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression.
Results Before surgery, there was a statistically significant difference in the preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels between the TLS-positive group and the TLS-negative group (P<0.05); there were statistically significant differences in microsatellite instability (MSI) status and extranodal lymph node invasion between the SFL-TLS group and the non-SFL-TLS group (P<0.05). The effector immune cells (CD8+ T cells, NK cells, CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, CD20+ B cells) and CXCL13 chemokine levels in the SFL-TLS group were significantly higher than those in the non-SFL-TLS group, while the inhibitory Treg cell levels were significantly lower than those in the non-SFL-TLS group (P<0.001); the 3-year OS of the TLS-positive group was 63.7% (79/124), and that of the TLS-negative group was 42.1% (16/38), with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (Log-Rank χ2=6.785, P=0.009); the 3-year OS of the SFL-TLS group was 76.9% (50/65), and that of the non-SFL-TLS group was 49.2% (29/59), with a statistically significant difference (Log-Rank χ2=10.422, P=0.001); Cox univariate analysis showed that the preoperative cancer antigen (CEA) level and extranodal lymph node invasion were risk factors for OS; the MSI status and maturity of TLS were protective factors for the overall survival of patients; multivariate Cox analysis further indicated that the preoperative CEA level (HR: 1.027, 95%CI: 1.000~1.055), extranodal lymph node invasion (HR: 2.583, 95%CI: 1.382~4.825) were independent risk factors for OS; the MSI status (HR: 0.452, 95%CI: 0.239~0.853), TLS maturity (HR: 0.372, 95%CI: 0.192~0.713) were independent protective factors for OS, while the TLS presence status did not show an independent prognostic impact.
Conclusion The maturity of TLS is related to the high microsatellite instability status and is an independent protective factor for OS in patients with colon cancer, and it can be used as a potential biomarker for evaluating the prognosis of colon cancer patients.
Key words:
Colonic Neoplasms,
Tertiary Lymphoid Structures,
Maturity,
Clinicopathological Features,
Prognosis
Jianxin Yang, Ninghua Yao, Feifei Zheng. Study on the relationship between TLS maturity in colon cancer tissues and clinical pathological characteristics as well as prognosis[J]. Chinese Journal of Operative Procedures of General Surgery(Electronic Edition), 2026, 20(06): 541-546.