CD8+ PD-1+ T-cells and PD-L1+ circulating tumor cells in chemotherapy-naïve non-small cell lung cancer: towards their clinical relevance?

摘要

Background:Since tumor cells may escape from immune surveillance through the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand (PD-L)1 axis, this study was designed in order to evaluate whether there is a correlation between the levels of PD-1⁺ and PD-L1⁺-expressing immune cells (ICs) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).