JOURNAL OF SHANGHAI JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY (MEDICAL SCIENCE) ›› 2020, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (06): 847-855.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8115.2020.06.022

• Original article (Clinical research) • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Analysis of Tim-3/Gal-9 expression and T cell infiltration in adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction

WANG Yang-yang1, ZHENG Xiao2, ZHU Chun-chao1, LIU Qiang3, ZHANG Zi-zhen1, ZHAO En-hao1   

  1. 1. Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China; 2. Department of General Surgery, Tai'an Central Hospital, Tai'an 271000, China; 3. Department of Pathology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
  • Online:2020-06-28 Published:2020-06-28
  • Supported by:
    Medical-Engineering Joint Project of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (YG2019QNB20).

Abstract: Objective · To detect T cell immunoglobulin mucin 3 (Tim-3) and galectin 9 (Gal-9) expression as well as CD3+ T cells and CD8+ T cells infiltration in the tumor tissues of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG), and analyze their correlations with the patients’ clinical characteristics and survival prognosis. Methods · A retrospective case study was used to collect clinical data and follow-up data of 116 AEG patients who were admitted to Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from Dec. 2005 to Dec. 2013. Tim-3, Gal-9, CD3, and CD8 protein expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry in the tumor tissues, and the clinical characteristics and prognosis were compared among the patients with different levels of protein expression and T cells infiltration. Results · The results of immunohistochemistry showed that Tim-3 mainly expressed in the infiltrating immune cells, and Gal-9 mainly expressed in the tumor cells. The analysis on the clinical characteristics revealed that Tim-3 expression level was related to the Siewert classification (P=0.030) and CD8+ T cells infiltration level was related to the tumor TNM stage (P=0.042). The results of survival analysis showed that the patients with high level of CD8+ T cells infiltration had a better survival prognosis (P=0.047). However, there was no difference in the prognosis among the patients with different Tim-3 and/or Gal-9 expression levels or with different CD3+ T cell infiltration levels. Conclusion · AEG patients with high level of CD8+ T cells infiltration usually have earlier TNM stages and better prognosis. There is no significant difference in the prognosis of AEG patients with different Tim-3/Gal-9 expression levels.

Key words: adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG), T cell immunoglobulin mucin 3 (Tim-3), galectin 9 (Gal-9), survival prognosis

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