Immunological Status of Bladder Cancer Patients Based on Urine Leukocyte Composition at Radical Cystectomy

Abstract

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is the ninth most common malignancy worldwide, with high rates of recurrence. The use of urine leukocyte composition at the time of radical cystectomy (RC) as a marker for the study of patients’ immunological status and to predict the recurrence of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) has received little attention. Methods: Urine and matched peripheral blood samples were collected from 24 MIBC patients at the time of RC. Leukocyte composition and expression of PD-L1 and PD-1 in each subpopulation were determined by flow cytometry. Results: All MIBC patients had leukocytes in urine. There were different proportions of leukocyte subpopulations. The expression of PD-L1 and PD-1 on each subpopulation differed between patients. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), smoking status, and the affectation of lymph nodes influenced urine composition. We observed a link between leukocytes in urine and blood circulation. Recurrent patients without NAC and with no affectation of lymph nodes had a higher proportion of lymphocytes, macrophages, and PD-L1+ neutrophils in urine than non-recurrent patients. Conclusions: Urine leukocyte composition may be a useful tool for analyzing the immunological status of MIBC patients. Urine cellular composition allowed us to identify a new subgroup of LN− patients with a higher risk of recurrence.

Association between the Immunophenotype of Peripheral Blood from mCRPC Patients and the Outcomes of Radium-223 Treatment

“…We found differences in leukocyte subpopulations, immunomodulatory molecules, and NLR at baseline. This may be due to the disease itself or it may reflect previous treatments, as previously documented [ 18 , 19 ]. Although the time between diagnosis and collection of the blood sample varies between patients, we saw higher NLR in patients diagnosed at stage IV [ 20 ] and in patients with a high Gleason score [ 21 ].…”