Background/Aims: The role of Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in the prognosis of patients with lung cancer is still controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic role of TILs in lung cancer. Methods: Studies were recruited by searching PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library and assessed by further quality evaluation. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to investigate the association between TIL subsets and lung cancer patients' outcome. Results: A total of 29 articles including 8,600 patients were enrolled into the meta-analysis. Our results indicated that high level of CD8⁺ cells infiltration in tumor stroma (TS) or tumor nest (TN) was associated with better OS in lung cancer patients (HR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.62-0.93, P = 0.006; HR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.67-0.96; P = 0.018, respectively). Similar results could be also observed in CD3⁺ T cells infiltration. High CD4⁺ T lymphocytes infiltration in TS was explicitly accompanied by better OS (HR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.46-0.91; P = 0.013), rather than in TN. In contrast, high density of FOXP3⁺ T cells infiltration in TS showed a poor PFS (HR = 2.67, 95% CI, 1.74-4.08, P < 0.001). Conclusion: This meta-analysis clarified that high level of CD8⁺ and CD3⁺ T cells infiltration in TS or TN, and high CD4⁺ T lymphocytes infiltration in TS showed better OS in lung cancer patients, whereas high density of FOXP3⁺ T cells infiltration in TS could be recognized as a negative prognostic factor.

Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), based on peripheral lymphocyte, neutrophil, and platelet counts, was recently investigated as a prognostic marker in several tumors. However, SII has not been reported in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We evaluated the prognostic value of the SII in 916 patients with ESCC who underwent radical surgery. Univariate and multivariate analyses were calculated by the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to compare the discrimination ability for OS. PSM (propensity score matching) was carried out to imbalance the baseline characteristics. Our results showed that SII, PLR, NLR and MLR were all associated with OS in ESCC patients in the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. However, only SII was an independent risk factor for OS (HR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.01–1.53, P = 0.042) among these systemic inflammation scores. The AUC for SII was bigger than PLR, NLR and MLR. In the PSM analysis, SII still remained an independent predictor for OS (HR = 1.30, CI 1.05–1.60, P = 0.018). SII is a novel, simple and inexpensive prognostic predictor for patients with ESCC undergoing radical esophagectomy. The prognostic value of SII is superior to PLR, NLR and MLR.

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a new type of endogenous non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). circRNA regulates gene expression in many biological processes, and it also participates in the initiation and development of various diseases, including tumors, which are the focus of present research. With the development of high-throughput sequencing technique, an increasing number of circRNAs closely related to tumors have been discovered. According to numerous studies, there is a significant difference in the expressions of circRNAs among a variety of tumor tissues and para-carcinoma normal tissues. Some specifically expressed circRNAs may potentially serve as new biomarkers for tumor diagnosis and prognosis. This systemic review briefly introduces the characteristics, biogenesis, and functions of circRNAs, as well as discusses their relationship with cancer in detail. In addition, this article also describes several research strategies for circRNAs.

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B7-H1, B7-H4 and Foxp3 were overexpressed in gastric cancer tissues. B7-H1 and Foxp3 are negative prognostic factors for patients with gastric cancer.