Background: Inducible Nitric Oxygen Synthase (iNOS) promotes the generation of NO in tissues. Its role in tumor progression and immune response is unclear.
Methods: The immunohistochemical expression patterns of iNOS were studied in a series of 98 tissue samples of non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), in parallel with the expression of hypoxia and anaerobic metabolism markers, PD-L1 and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).
Results: iNOS is expressed by cancer cells in 19/98 (19.4%), while extensive expression by cancer-associated fibroblasts occurs in 8/98 (8.2%) cases. None of these patterns relate to stage or prognosis. Extensive infiltration of the tumor stroma by iNOS-expressing TILs (iNOS+TILs) occurs in 47/98 (48%) cases. This is related to low Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α (HIF1α), high PD-L1 expression and a better overall survival (p = 0.002). Expression of PD-L1, however, mitigates the beneficial effect of the presence of iNOS+TIL.
Conclusions: Extensive expression of iNOS by TILs occurs in approximately 50% of NSCLCs, and this is significantly related to an improved overall survival. This brings forward the role of iNOS in anti-neoplastic lymphocyte biology, supporting iNOS+TILs as a putative marker of immune response. The value of this biomarker as a predictive and treatment-guiding tool for tumor immunotherapy demands further investigation.
Keywords: HIF1α; PD-L1; iNOS; immune response; lung cancer.