Radiomic Signatures Associated with CD8+ Tumour-Infiltrating Lymphocytes: A Systematic Review and Quality Assessment Study

Abstract

The tumour immune microenvironment influences the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Within this microenvironment are CD8-expressing tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (CD8+ TILs), which are an important mediator and marker of anti-tumour response. In practice, the assessment of CD8+ TILs via tissue sampling involves logistical challenges. Radiomics, the high-throughput extraction of features from medical images, may offer a novel and non-invasive alternative. We performed a systematic review of the available literature reporting radiomic signatures associated with CD8+ TILs. We also aimed to evaluate the methodological quality of the identified studies using the Radiomics Quality Score (RQS) tool, and the risk of bias and applicability with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. Articles were searched from inception until 31 December 2021, in three electronic databases, and screened against eligibility criteria. Twenty-seven articles were included. A wide variety of cancers have been studied. The reported radiomic signatures were heterogeneous, with very limited reproducibility between studies of the same cancer group. The overall quality of studies was found to be less than desirable (mean RQS = 33.3%), indicating a need for technical maturation. Some potential avenues for further investigation are also discussed.

Multiomics profiling reveals the benefits of gamma-delta (γδ) T lymphocytes for improving the tumor microenvironment, immunotherapy efficacy and prognosis in cervical cancer

“…Previous studies have developed numerous CT-based 47 or MRI-based 48 radiomic biomarkers of tumor-infiltrating CD8 + T cells, although the radiomic signatures they reported were heterogeneous with limited reproducibility. 49 Here, we sought to establish the first radiomic biomarker for tumor-infiltrating γδ T cells, thus demonstrating its broad impact on the TIME. Without an external validation set, we do not have sufficient confidence to ensure that the obtained radiomics model robustly predicts the level of γδ T-cell infiltration.…”

Evaluating the Impact of Cuproptosis-Related Genes on Prognosis and the Tumor Microenvironment in Colon Cancer

“…To elucidate the speci c role of CRGs in risk strati cation for these objectives, we conducted comprehensive analyses of clinicopathological characteristics, prognosis, mutations, tumor mutational burden (TMB), immune checkpoints, microsatellite instability (MSI), and drug susceptibility across patients with low and high risk scores. Typically, better prognosis in CC is associated with higher levels of tumor-in ltrating lymphocytes, tumor neoantigens, and immune checkpoints [29,30] .…”

A CT-based radiomics approach for CD8+ lymphocytes infiltration stratification in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

“…Therefore, they stand as the most dominant effect in the anticancer immune response and constitute the foundation of current successful cancer immunotherapies (26). CD8+ infiltration in tumor tissue and the surrounding stroma measured via pathology and cytology has been shown to be a strong predictor of ICI response (23,27).…”

“…Therefore, they stand as the most dominant effect in the anticancer immune response and constitute the foundation of current successful cancer immunotherapies (26). CD8+ infiltration in tumor tissue and the surrounding stroma measured via pathology and cytology has been shown to be a strong predictor of ICI response (23,27). Accurate and fast prediction CD8+ infiltration levels could significantly enhance clinicians’ decision-making process, mainly by facilitating reaching personalized therapeutic consensus, since patients with high CD8+ infiltration levels are most likely to respond well to immunotherapy.…”