Prognostic significance of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes on first-line pembrolizumab efficacy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

AIM: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in the tumor and stroma are expected to accurately predict the efficacy of programmed death-1 (PD-1) blockade therapy. However, little is known about the prognostic significance of TILs in first-line PD-1 therapy. We assessed TILs in patients with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with pembrolizumab in the palliative setting. METHODS: Multiplex immunohistochemistry staining of TILs (CD4, CD8, Foxp3, and PD-1) and immunohistochemical staining of CK and PD-L1 in the tumor and stroma was performed in tumor specimens of 107 NSCLC patients and correlated with clinical outcomes, as a single-center retrospective study. TILs and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) were assessed on biopsies (N = 93) or surgical resections (N = 14) before first-line pembrolizumab. RESULTS: A low number of stromal CD4 TILs were significantly associated with bone metastasis and poor performance status (PS). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly higher in patients with a high number of stromal CD4 TILs (336 days and 731 days, respectively) than in those with low infiltration (204 days and 333 days, respectively). Patients with a high number of intratumoral CD8 TILs (731 days) yielded significantly better OS than those with low infiltration (333 days), but not for PFS. Multivariate analysis confirmed that stromal CD4 TILs were independent predictors of PFS, but not OS. Furthermore, intratumoral CD8 TILs were independent predictors of better OS. In the survival analysis of key subgroups, stromal CD4 TILs were identified as significant predictors of survival in patients with non-adenocarcinomatous histology and PD-L1 ≥ 50%. CONCLUSION: Stromal CD4 TILs were identified as a significant marker for predicting the PFS after pembrolizumab therapy, especially in patients with non-adenocarcinoma and high PD-L1 expression. In addition, intratumoral CD8 TILs were identified as significant predictors of OS. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12672-023-00615-4.