T lymphocyte subsets and mitochondrial index predict outcomes in advanced non small cell lung cancer therapy

Currently, accessible objective indicators for predicting the prognosis and treatment outcomes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are lacking. This study investigates the potential of T lymphocyte subsets and mitochondrial biomarkers as predictors of metastasis and evaluators of therapy response in advanced NSCLC. We analyzed clinical data from 24 advanced NSCLC patients, including T-cell counts and mitochondrial mass (MM)/membrane potential (MMP) measurements. Group comparisons used parametric t-tests and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U tests, with False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction for multiple comparisons. Predictive performance was evaluated via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (area under curve, AUC). CD8 + T cells with low mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP-Low) and CD8 + T-cell mitochondrial mass (MM) showed promising potential in predicting metastasis (AUC = 0.85 and 0.87). Three T-cell biomarkers correlated with therapeutic outcomes (p < 0.05): PD-1 + CD8 + T-cell percentage, MMP-Low CD8 + T-cell proportion, CD8 + T-cell MM levels. Our exploratory findings suggest that T lymphocyte subsets and mitochondrial indices show potential as biomarkers to evaluate therapy response and predict metastasis risk in advanced NSCLC, which may facilitate individualized treatment and timely regimen adjustment for patients pending further validation.