Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. May 24, 2025; 16(5): 104138
Published online May 24, 2025. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v16.i5.104138
Functional heterogeneity and clinical implications of CD4+ T cell subtypes in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma
Bei-Lei Zhang, Wei Gao, Ling He, Xiao-Ting Liu, Zhong-Ming Wang, Li Tan
Bei-Lei Zhang, Xiao-Ting Liu, Li Tan, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second People's Hospital of Hunan Province (Brain Hospital of Hunan Province), Changsha 410007, Hunan Province, China
Wei Gao, Department of Traumatic Orthopedics, The Second People's Hospital of Hunan Province (Brain Hospital of Hunan Province), Changsha 410007, Hunan Province, China
Ling He, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha 410011, Hunan Province, China
Zhong-Ming Wang, Epilepsy Center, The Second People's Hospital of Hunan Province (Brain Hospital of Hunan Province), Changsha 410007, Hunan Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang BL, Gao W, and Tan L conceived and designed the study. Zhang BL and He L conducted the data collection and analysis; Liu XT and Wang ZM performed the single-cell RNA sequencing data processing and bioinformatics analyses; Gao W and He L contributed to the interpretation of results and preparation of figures; Zhang BL drafted the manuscript, and all authors critically reviewed and revised the manuscript for intellectual content; Tan L supervised the study.
Supported by The Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China, No. 2022JJ30329.
Institutional review board statement: This study utilized data from publicly available databases and did not involve human participants, samples, or tissues. Therefore, approval from an Institutional Review Board was not required.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to this work. No financial, personal, or professional relationships have influenced the research, analysis, or conclusions presented in this manuscript.
Data sharing statement: The datasets generated and analyzed during this study can be obtained by contacting the corresponding author.
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: Li Tan, MD, Associate Professor, Chief Physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second People's Hospital of Hunan Province (Brain Hospital of Hunan Province), No. 427 Section 3, Furong Middle Road, Changsha 410007, Hunan Province, China. tanli2022@163.com
Received: December 23, 2024
Revised: February 21, 2025
Accepted: April 15, 2025
Published online: May 24, 2025
Processing time: 148 Days and 20.5 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: This study uncovers the functional heterogeneity of CD4+ T cell subtypes in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC), revealing their tissue-specific distributions and roles within the tumor microenvironment. Regulatory T cells (Tregs), particularly Treg3 cells, were identified as key immunosuppressive players enriched in adnexal tissues, correlating with poor prognosis and reduced immunotherapy response. By integrating single-cell RNA sequencing data, we provide novel insights into immune evasion mechanisms and identify Treg3 cells as potential therapeutic targets. These findings advance our understanding of HGSOC immunity and offer pathways for developing personalized immunotherapies.