Tertiary lymphoid structure-related immune infiltrates in NSCLC tumor lesions correlate with low tumor-reactivity of TIL products

Abstract

Adoptive transfer of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL therapy) has proven highly effective for treating solid cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, not all patients benefit from this therapy for yet unknown reasons. Defining markers that correlate with high tumor-reactivity of the autologous TIL products is thus key for achieving better tailored immunotherapies. We questioned whether the composition of immune cell infiltrates correlated with the tumor-reactivity of expanded TIL products. Unbiased flow cytometry analysis of immune cell infiltrates of 26 early-stage and 20 late-stage NSCLC tumor lesions was used for correlations with the T cell differentiation and activation status, and with the expansion rate and anti-tumor response of generated TIL products. The composition of tumor immune infiltrates was highly variable between patients. Spearman’s Rank Correlation revealed that high B cell infiltration negatively correlated with the tumor-reactivity of the patient’s expanded TIL products, as defined by cytokine production upon exposure to autologous tumor digest. In-depth analysis revealed that tumor lesions with high B cell infiltrates contained tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS)-related immune infiltrates, including BCL6 + antibody-secreting B cells, IgD + BCL6 + B cells and CXCR5 + BLC6 + CD4 + T cells, and higher percentages of naïve CD8 + T cells. In conclusion, the composition of immune cell infiltrates in NSCLC tumors associates with the functionality of the expanded TIL product. Our findings may thus help improve patient selection for TIL therapy.