Characteristics of tertiary lymphoid structures in primary cancers

• Published in: Oncoimmunology Vol. 2; no. 12; p. e26836
• Main Authors: Goc, Jérémy, Fridman, Wolf-Herman, Sautès-Fridman, Catherine, Dieu-Nosjean, Marie-Caroline
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 01.12.2013; Landes Bioscience
• Subjects: adaptive immune response; migration; Review; tertiary lymphoid structure; tumor immunology; vasculature; migration; tertiary lymphoid structure; vasculature; tumor immunology; adaptive immune response
• ISSN: 2162-4011; 2162-402X; 2162-402X
• DOI: 10.4161/onci.26836

Tumors are sustained by complex networks of interactions between malignant cells, stromal cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. These networks differ from patient to patient in terms of nature, composition and organization as well as with regard to the precise localization of tumor-infiltrating cells. Of note, the heterogeneity of the immunological component of the tumor microenvironment, as opposed to its mere abundance, has been shown to influence disease outcome. However, a key question remains: where does the activation of tumor-specific T cells take place? The recently described, tumor-associated lymph node-like entities termed "tertiary lymphoid structures" exhibit a structural organization that is reminiscent of secondary lymphoid organs, and thus may imprint the local immune contexture. Here, we discuss how cancer-associated tertiary lymphoid structures impact on the tumor micro-architecture, immune microenvironment, and ultimately, patient survival.