The Tumor Immune Microenvironment Architecture Correlates with Risk of Recurrence in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Emerging evidence suggests that not only the frequency and composition of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes but also their spatial organization might be a major determinant of tumor progression and response to therapy. Therefore, mapping and analyzing the fine tumor immune architecture could potentially provide insights for predicting cancer prognosis. Here, we performed an explorative, prospective clinical study to assess whether structures within the tumor microenvironment can predict recurrence after salvage surgery in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The major immune subsets were measured using flow cytometry and co-detection by indexing (CODEX) multiparametric imaging. Flow cytometry underestimated the number of PMN-MDSCs and neutrophils in the tumor and overestimated the tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte frequency. An ad hoc computational framework was used to identify and analyze discrete cellular neighborhoods. A high frequency of tertiary lymphoid structures composed of CD31(high)CD38(high) plasma cells was associated with reduced recurrence after surgery in HNSCC. These data support the notion that the structural architecture of the tumor immune microenvironment plays an essential role in tumor progression and indicates that type 1 tertiary lymphoid structures and long-lived CD31(high)CD38(high) plasma cells are associated with good prognosis in HNSCC. SIGNIFICANCE: Imaging the spatial tumor immune microenvironment and evaluating the presence of type 1 tertiary lymphoid structures enables prediction of recurrence after surgery in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.