Prognostic value of tertiary lymphoid structures in hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis and systematic review

作者全名：Hu, Lingbo; Li, Xuemei; Yang, Changhong; Zhou, Baoyong; Du, Chengyou; Jiang, Ning

作者地址：[Hu, Lingbo; Zhou, Baoyong; Du, Chengyou] Chongqing Med Univ, Affiliated Hosp 1, Dept Hepatobiliary Surg, Chongqing, Peoples R China; [Hu, Lingbo] Wenzhou Med Univ, Taizhou Hosp Zhejiang Prov, Dept Hepatopancreatobiliary Surg, Taizhou, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; [Hu, Lingbo] Enze Hosp, Taizhou Enze Med Ctr Grp, Dept Hepatopancreatobiliary Surg, Taizhou, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; [Li, Xuemei; Jiang, Ning] Chongqing Med Univ, Dept Pathol, Chongqing, Peoples R China; [Li, Xuemei; Jiang, Ning] Chongqing Med Univ, Mol Med Diagnost & Testing Ctr, Chongqing, Peoples R China; [Li, Xuemei; Jiang, Ning] Chongqing Med Univ, Affiliated Hosp 1, Dept Pathol, Chongqing, Peoples R China; [Yang, Changhong] Chongqing Med Univ, Dept Bioinformat, Chongqing, Peoples R China

通信作者：Du, CY (通讯作者)，Chongqing Med Univ, Affiliated Hosp 1, Dept Hepatobiliary Surg, Chongqing, Peoples R China.; Jiang, N (通讯作者)，Chongqing Med Univ, Dept Pathol, Chongqing, Peoples R China.; Jiang, N (通讯作者)，Chongqing Med Univ, Mol Med Diagnost & Testing Ctr, Chongqing, Peoples R China.; Jiang, N (通讯作者)，Chongqing Med Univ, Affiliated Hosp 1, Dept Pathol, Chongqing, Peoples R China.

来源：FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY

ESI学科分类：IMMUNOLOGY

WOS号：WOS:001248399900001

JCR分区：Q1

影响因子：5.7

年份：2024

卷号：15

期号：　

开始页：　

结束页：　

文献类型：Article

关键词：tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS); hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); meta-analysis; prognosis; HBV - hepatitis B virus

摘要：Background: Multiple investigations and scholarly articles have presented compelling evidence indicating that tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) play a pivotal role in inhibiting and controlling the advancement of tumors. While there is an abundance of information highlighting the importance of TLS in different cancer types, their prognostic significance specifically in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cancers remains unclear. Thus, this meta-analysis aimed to explore the prognostic relevance of TLS in HCC. Methods: We conducted a thorough search across four databases, namely Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, to identify pertinent studies. The search utilized the keywords "tertiary lymphoid structures" and "hepatocellular carcinoma." The primary outcomes of interest encompassed overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), early recurrence, and late recurrence. The statistical effect size for these measures was expressed in terms of hazard ratios (HR). Results: Six studies were incorporated into the analysis. Among them, four studies, encompassing 6 datasets and involving 1490 patients, and three studies, comprising 5 datasets and involving 656 patients, respectively, investigated the correlation between intratumoral and peritumoral TLSs and the prognosis in HCC patients. The meta-analysis revealed that the presence of intratumoral TLSs is linked to longer RFS and reduced early recurrence (HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.50-0.67; p <0.001 and HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.36-0.65; p <0.001, respectively). However, no significant association was observed with OS and late recurrence. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the robustness of these findings, and heterogeneities were minimal. Additionally, the meta-analysis did not detect a relationship between peritumoral TLSs and OS or RFS in HCC patients. Conclusion: The presence of intratumoral TLSs is correlated with better RFS and reduced early recurrence in HCC patients. Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the roles of peritumoral TLSs in the prognosis of HCC patients.

基金机构：National Natural Science Foundation of China [82203310]; Creative Research Group of CQ University [CXQT21017]; Program for Youth Innovation in Future Medicine from Chongqing Medical University

基金资助正文：The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82203310), Creative Research Group of CQ University (Grant No. CXQT21017), and Program for Youth Innovation in Future Medicine from Chongqing Medical University.