Potential biomarkers for predicting immune response and outcomes in lung cancer patients undergoing thermal ablation

Abstract

Thermal ablation is a promising alternative treatment for lung cancer. It disintegrates cancer cells and releases antigens, followed by the remodeling of local tumor immune microenvironment and the activation of anti-tumor immune responses, enhancing the overall effectiveness of the treatment. Biomarkers can offer insights into the patient’s immune response and outcomes, such as local tumor control, recurrence, overall survival, and progression-free survival. Identifying and validating such biomarkers can significantly impact clinical decision-making, leading to personalized treatment strategies and improved patient outcomes. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of research on potential biomarkers for predicting immune response and outcomes in lung cancer patients undergoing thermal ablation, including their potential role in lung cancer management, and the challenges and future directions.

Dynamic Changes in the Immune Microenvironment in Tumor-Draining Lymph Nodes of a Lewis Lung Cancer Mouse Model After Microwave Ablation

“…Thermal ablation fragments cancer cells, triggering the release of antigens and prompting a remodeled tumor immune microenvironment that activates the antitumor immune response. 31 Therefore, we inferred that dynamic changes in the immune microenvironment in the TdLN described above may be attributed to the release of tumor antigens induced by MWA. Theoretically, intratumoral migratory cDCs can recognize these released tumor antigens and migrate to the TdLN, where migratory cDCs activate CD4 + T cells to express CD40L, CD40L + CD4 + T cells license cDCs to fully activate CD8 + T cells.…”