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01-02-2021 | NSCLC | Original Article

Chemotherapy negatively impacts the tumor immune microenvironment in NSCLC: an analysis of pre- and post-treatment biopsies in the multi-center SAKK19/09 study

Authors: M. A. Amrein, E. D. Bührer, M. L. Amrein, Q. Li, S. Rothschild, C. Riether, R. Jaggi, S. Savic-Prince, L. Bubendorf, O. Gautschi, A. F. Ochsenbein

Published in: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy | Issue 2/2021

Abstract

Background

Over the past few years, immune checkpoint inhibitors have changed the therapeutic landscape of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Response to immune checkpoint inhibitors correlates with a pre-existing anti-tumoral immune response. Checkpoint inhibitors have been introduced as second-line therapy and are only very recently used as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment of NSCLC. However, the effect of conventional first-line platinum-based chemotherapy on the immune infiltrate in the tumor is largely unknown.

Methods

We measured the gene expression of a custom set of 201 cancer- and immune-related genes in 100 NSCLC tumor biopsies collected before chemotherapy and 33 re-biopsies after platinum-based chemotherapy at the time point of progression. For 29 patients matched pre- and post-chemotherapy samples could be evaluated.

Results

We identified a cluster of 47 co-expressed immune genes, including PDCD1 (PD1) and CD274 (PD-L1), along with three other co-expression clusters. Chemotherapy decreased the average gene expression of the immune cluster while no effect was observed on the other three cluster. Within this immune cluster, CTLA4, LAG3, TNFRSF18, CD80 and FOXP3 were found to be significantly decreased in patient-matched samples after chemotherapy.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that conventional platinum-based chemotherapy negatively impacts the immune microenvironment at the time point of secondary progression.

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Title: Chemotherapy negatively impacts the tumor immune microenvironment in NSCLC: an analysis of pre- and post-treatment biopsies in the multi-center SAKK19/09 study
Authors: M. A. Amrein
E. D. Bührer
M. L. Amrein
Q. Li
S. Rothschild
C. Riether
R. Jaggi
S. Savic-Prince
L. Bubendorf
O. Gautschi
A. F. Ochsenbein
Publication date: 01-02-2021
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords: NSCLC
Lung Cancer
Lung Cancer
NSCLC
Lung Cancer
Bevacizumab
Cytostatic Therapy
Published in: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy / Issue 2/2021
Print ISSN: 0340-7004
Electronic ISSN: 1432-0851
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-020-02688-4

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Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

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