Vascular leakage in non-small cell lung cancer is associated with immune evasion and poor response to immunotherapy Show others and affiliations
2026 (English) In: Cancer Letters, ISSN 0304-3835, E-ISSN 1872-7980, Vol. 658, article id 218728Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Leaky blood vessels are a hallmark of solid tumors. However, the molecular mechanisms and clinical implications of vascular leakage in human cancer remain unexplored. Here, we identified fibrinopeptide-A (FpA) as a robust in-situ marker of vascular leakage, analyzing diagnostic specimens from two non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cohorts (N = 327 and N = 200). Mechanistically, FpA+ staining localized to discrete stromal niches characterized by increased endothelial VEGF receptor-2 phosphorylation, elevated VEGFA production by tumor cells and loss of the endothelial tyrosine phosphatase PTPRB . Immune profiling revealed reduced density of mature dendritic cells and granzyme B-expressing cytotoxic T cells in tumors with high-leakage. This leakage-associated immunosuppression was linked to the presence of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, compared to low-leakage, TLS in high-leakage tumors were enriched in regulatory T cells and conferred no survival advantage. Patients with high vascular leakage exhibited a reduced overall survival. Moreover, in a separate immunotherapy cohort (N = 64), high-leakage was associated with poor response to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment. This study establishes vascular leakage as an important prognostic factor in NSCLC, and provides mechanistic understanding and a methodological framework to stratify NSCLC patients with regard to responsiveness to immunotherapy.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages Elsevier, 2026. Vol. 658, article id 218728
Keywords [en]
Non-small cell lung cancer, Vascular leakage, Fibrinopeptide A, VEPTP, Tertiary lymphoid structures, Immunotherapy response
National Category
Cancer and Oncology
Identifiers URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-595809 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2026.218728 ISI: 001839903800001 PubMedID: 42486347 Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105046045859 OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-595809 DiVA, id: diva2:2093643
Part of project Molecular regulation of vascular permeability, Swedish Research Council EvoMaps: How cellular ecosystems drive early breast cancer evolution, Swedish Research Council
Funder Swedish Cancer Society, 25 4398 Pj 01 H Swedish Cancer Society, 21-1790 Swedish Cancer Society, 211749Pj Swedish Research Council, 2025-02853 Swedish Research Council, 2022-01151 Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, KAW 2023.0212
Note De två sista författarna delar sistaförfattarskapet
2026-08-192026-08-192026-08-19 Bibliographically approved