Tumor and local lymphoid tissue interaction determines prognosis in high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) is associated with prognosis in copy-number-driven tumors, including high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), although the function of TLS and its interaction with copy-number alterations in HGSOC are not fully understood. In the current study, we confirm that TLS-high HGSOC patients show significantly better progression-free survival (PFS). We show that the presence of TLS in HGSOC tumors is associated with B cell maturation and cytotoxic tumor-specific T cell activation and proliferation. In addition, the copy-number loss of IL15 and CXCL10 may limit TLS formation in HGSOC; a list of genes that may dysregulate TLS function is also proposed. Last, a radiomics-based signature is developed to predict the presence of TLS, which independently predicts PFS in both HGSOC patients and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Overall, we reveal that TLS coordinates intratumoral B cell and T cell response to HGSOC tumor, while the cancer genome evolves to counteract TLS formation and function.
Competing Interests: Declaration of interests D.J.P. has received lecture fees from ViiV Healthcare, Bayer Healthcare, BMS, Roche, EISAI, and Falk Foundation; travel expenses from BMS and Bayer Healthcare; consulting fees from Mina Therapeutics, EISAI, Roche, Avamune, Exact Sciences, Mursla, DaVolterra, and Astra Zeneca; and research funding (to institution) from MSD and BMS.
(Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)