Progenitor-exhausted T cell as prognostic indicator in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: illuminating their key contribution to tumor immunity
Our findings identify T<sub>pex</sub> cells as a critical prognostic and immunologically active CD8⁺T cell subset in ESCC. Their abundance and functional engagement are closely associated with favorable clinical outcomes and response to PD-1 blockade. Furthermore, their stem cell-like properties may be pivotal in shaping durable anti-tumor immunity and could provide novel therapeutic targets to enhance the efficacy of PD-1-based immunotherapy.
Authors
- Renhao Geng
- Bin Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1451-7153)
- Fang Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1908-3865)
- Lujun Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5410-9242)
- Xiao Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6163-7414)
- Hongwei� Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3807-7989)
- Junjun Chen
- Yi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6571-9499)
Institutions
- Soochow University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Immunology
- Published
- 2025-09-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1659077
- Primary Topic
- Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00