Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. Apr 24, 2024; 15(4): 478-481
Published online Apr 24, 2024. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v15.i4.478
Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in gastric cancer: Unraveling complex interactions for precision medicine
Mayank Kapoor, Amit Sehrawat, Jayalingappa Karthik, Deepak Sundriyal
Mayank Kapoor, Amit Sehrawat, Jayalingappa Karthik, Deepak Sundriyal, Department of Medical Oncology Haematology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Rishikesh, Rishikesh 249203, India
Author contributions: Kapoor M and Sehrawat A contributed to this paper, designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript, and contributed to the writing and editing of the manuscript and review of the literature; Karthik J and Sundriyal D contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflict-of-interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Amit Sehrawat, MBBS, MD, DrNB, Associate Professor, Department of Medical Oncology Haematology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Rishikesh, Virbhadra Road, Rishikesh 249203, India. dramitsehrawat@gmail.com
Received: January 15, 2024
Peer-review started: January 15, 2024
First decision: February 5, 2024
Revised: February 7, 2024
Accepted: March 19, 2024
Article in press: March 19, 2024
Published online: April 24, 2024
Processing time: 97 Days and 21.3 Hours
Abstract

This editorial will focus on tumor immunity and the factors that alter the tumor immune micro-environment. The role of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) will also be discussed in detail, including the types, mechanism of action, and role. Gastric cancer (GC) often presents in the advanced stage and has various factors predicting the outcomes. The interplay of these factors and their correlation with the TILs is discussed. A literature review revealed high intra-tumoral TILs associated with higher grade, HER2-, and Helicobacter pylori negativity. Moreover, stromal (ST) TILs correlated with lower grade and lesser recurrence risk in GC. High TILs in ST and invasive border also correlated with mismatch repair deficiency status. Further characterization of the CD3+, CD8+, and other cells is also warranted. In the future, this complex correlation of cancer cells with the immune system can be explored for therapeutic avenues.

Keywords: Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes; Gastric cancer; Helicobacter pylori; HER-2-neu

Core Tip: Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are an essential component of the tumor microenvironment. The association of TIL levels with outcomes of malignancies is an upcoming field. This correlation may be utilized to explore the new immuno-oncological therapeutic avenues.