The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Sep 2019
Tumor cellular proliferation is associated with enhanced immune checkpoint expression in stage I non-small cell lung cancer.
Ki67 is a marker for tumor proliferative activity and is known to have prognostic significance in multiple solid malignancies. We sought to characterize the relationships among Ki67 expression, immune cell infiltration, and immune checkpoint expression in patients with resected non-small cell lung cancer. ⋯ Increased Ki67 expression is associated with biologically aggressive non-small cell lung cancer, enhanced immune checkpoint expression, and reduced intratumoral immune cell infiltration. These findings were strongest in early-stage disease and warrant further investigation in the context of novel therapeutic agents.