Publication Date
1-1-2024
Journal
Frontiers in Immunology
DOI
10.3389/fimmu.2024.1324093
PMID
38361928
PMCID
PMC10867206
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
2-1-2024
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes
Keywords
Humans, Pancreatic Neoplasms, Adenocarcinoma, Tertiary Lymphoid Structures, Medical Oncology, Tumor Microenvironment, tertiary lymphoid structures, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, pancreatic cancer, translational ability, immune microenvironment
Abstract
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive tumor with poor survival and limited treatment options. PDAC resistance to immunotherapeutic strategies is multifactorial, but partially owed to an immunosuppressive tumor immune microenvironment (TiME). However, the PDAC TiME is heterogeneous and harbors favorable tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) populations. Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are organized aggregates of immune cells that develop within non-lymphoid tissue under chronic inflammation in multiple contexts, including cancers. Our current understanding of their role within the PDAC TiME remains limited; TLS are complex structures with multiple anatomic features such as location, density, and maturity that may impact clinical outcomes such as survival and therapy response in PDAC. Similarly, our understanding of methods to manipulate TLS is an actively developing field of research. TLS may function as anti-tumoral immune niches that can be leveraged as a therapeutic strategy to potentiate both existing chemotherapeutic regimens and potentiate future immune-based therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcomes. This review seeks to cover anatomy, relevant features, immune effects, translational significance, and future directions of understanding TLS within the context of PDAC.
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Immunology of Infectious Disease Commons, Immunopathology Commons, Medical Immunology Commons, Oncology Commons, Pathology Commons