Chromogenic Multiplex Immunohistochemistry Reveals Modulation of the Immune Microenvironment Associated with Survival in Elderly Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma

With underrepresentation of elderly patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) in anti-PD-1/PD-L1 clinical trials, better understanding of the interplay of PD-L1 and tumor-associated immune cells (TAICs) could assist clinicians in stratifying these patients for immunotherapy. One hundred and one patients with LADCs, stratified by age, were included for analysis of PD-L1 expression and density of TAICs expressing CD4, CD8, and CD33, by using multiplex chromogenic immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays and automated digital quantification. The CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio was significantly higher in elderly patients. In patients <75 years, the density of CD4(+), CD8(+), and PD-L1 in TAICs showed a positive significant correlation with PD-L1 expression in tumor cells (TCs), while a lower correlation was observed in the elderly population. In the latter, a high CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio, and combined PD-L1 expression >= 1% TCs with a low CD8(+) density, low CD33(+) density, and a high CD4(+) density correlated to worse overall survival. We identified differences according to age in the CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio and in correlation between PD-L1 expression and the density of TAICs in LADC patients. Distinct groups of tumor microenvironments had an impact on the OS of elderly patients with LADC.