Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade therapy (ICBT) uses drugs to interrupt signaling pathways that inhibit antitumor immune responses. Although ICBT has provided clinical benefits in certain cancer patients, a large number of patients do not respond to ICBT. Therefore, it is necessary to find other efficient targets to promote the effects of ICBT. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. To date, there is no efficient treatment for patients with advanced RCC. The present study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of CD103+ cells in patients with RCC and their potential role in enhancing the effect of ICBT in RCC. A total of 200 tumor tissue samples were collected from patients with RCC. The CD103+ cell count and survival of these patients was assessed, and the role of CD103+ cells in combination with ICBT was evaluated in an RCC mouse model. It was identified that a high CD103+ cell count was an independent favorable prognosticator in patients with RCC. The expansion of CD103+ cells promoted the effects of ICBT in the RCC xenograft mouse model, while depletion of CD103+ cells had the opposite effect. Furthermore, the expansion of CD103+ cells enhanced the count and activation of tumor infiltrating CD8+ T cells in RCC tumor tissue. These results indicate that a high CD103+ cell count is an independent favorable prognosticator in RCC patients. Thus, the expansion of CD103+ cells may increase the efficacy of ICBT in patients with RCC.