Immune cell dynamics and the impact on the efficiency of transvascular antitumor interventional therapies in hepatocellular carcinoma patients

Front Immunol. 2024 Oct 8:15:1450525. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1450525. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Objective: This study investigates the impact of transvascular antitumor interventional therapies on immune cell dynamics and its correlation with disease control and progression-free survival (PFS) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.

Methods: A single-center observational case-control study was conducted with 119 HCC patients. Transvascular antitumor interventional therapy were administered based on patient-specific evaluations. Peripheral blood samples were collected before and within 28 days after the first treatment to analyze lymphocyte subsets and other immune cells.

Results: Higher counts of total white blood cells (WBCs), lymphocytes, monocytes, and basophils were significantly associated with disease control rate. Subgroup analysis revealed that abnormal BMI, diabetes, infection, and multiple lesions were significantly associated with T cell abnormalities. Age, abnormal BMI, hypertension, and abnormal AFP were linked to total T cell abnormalities. NK cells, B cells, Th cells, Tc/Ts cells, and CD4/CD8 ratios did not show significant differences in PFS probabilities.

Conclusion: Higher counts of WBCs, lymphocytes, monocytes, and basophils, play a crucial role in the effectiveness of HCC interventional therapy.

Keywords: disease control; hepatocellular carcinoma; lymphocyte subpopulations; progressive free survival; white blood cells.

Publication types

  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / immunology
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / mortality
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / therapy
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms* / immunology
  • Liver Neoplasms* / mortality
  • Liver Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology
  • Lymphocyte Subsets / metabolism
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Treatment Outcome

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This item was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC No. 82272101), the National Key Research and Development Program (No.2018YFE0126500), the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (No. ZR2021MH060), 2021 Shandong Medical Association Clinical Research Fund – Qilu Special Project (No. YXH2022ZX02117). Those funding bodies played no role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript.