Definitive chemoradiotherapy induces T-cell-inflamed tumor microenvironment in unresectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) modulates the tumor immune microenvironment of multiple cancer types, including esophageal cancer, which potentially induces both immunogenicity and immunosuppression by upregulating the presentation of tumor-specific antigens and immune checkpoint molecules in tumors, respectively. The prognostic effects of immune modification by CRT in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain controversial because of the lack of detailed immunological analyses using paired clinical specimens before and after CRT. We aimed to clarify the immunological changes in the tumor microenvironment caused by CRT and elucidate the predictive importance of clinical response and prognosis and the rationale for the necessity of subsequent programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor treatment.

In this study, we performed a comprehensive immunological analysis of paired biopsy specimens using multiplex immunohistochemistry before and after CRT in patients with unresectable locally advanced ESCC.

CRT significantly increased the intra-tumoral infiltration and PD-1 expression of CD8⁺ T cells and conventional CD4⁺ T cells but decreased those of regulatory T cells and the accumulation of tumor-associated macrophages. Multivariate analysis of tumor-infiltrating T-cell phenotypes revealed that the density of PD-1⁺CD8⁺ T cells in the tumor after CRT could predict a confirmed complete response and favorable survival.

This study showed that CRT improved the immunological characteristics of unresectable locally advanced ESCC and identified the density of PD-1⁺CD8⁺ T cells as a predictive factor for prognosis. This finding supports the rationale for the necessity of subsequent PD-1 inhibitor treatment.