Integrated omics characterization reveals reduced cancer indicators and elevated inflammatory factors after thermal ablation in non-small cell lung cancer patients
Respiratory Research, 2024
Zhang X., Shao S., Song N., Yang B., Liu F., Tong Z., Wang F., Li J.
| Disease area | Application area | Sample type | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
Oncology | Pathophysiology | Plasma |  Olink Target 96 |
Abstract
Background
Thermal ablation is a minimally invasive treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Aside from causing an immediate direct tumour cell injury, the effects of thermal ablation on the internal microenvironment are unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of thermal ablation on the plasma internal environment in patients with NSCLC.
Methods
128 plasma samples were collected from 48 NSCLC (pre [LC] and after thermal ablation [LC-T]) patients and 32 healthy controls (HCs). Olink proteomics and metabolomics were utilized to construct an integrated landscape of the cancer-related immune and inflammatory responses after ablation.
Results
Compared with HCs, LC patients exhibited 58 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and 479 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs), which might participate in tumour progression and metastasis. Moreover, 75 DEPs were identified among the HC, LC, and LC-T groups. Forty-eight highly expressed DEPs (eg, programmed death-ligand 1 [PD-L1]) in the LC group were found to be downregulated after thermal ablation. These DEPs had significant impacts on pathways such as angiogenesis, immune checkpoint blockade, and pro-tumour chemotaxis. Metabolites involved in tumour cell survival were associated with these proteins at the expression and functional levels. In contrast, 19 elevated proteins (eg, interleukin [IL]-6) were identified after thermal ablation. These proteins were mainly associated with inflammatory response pathways (NF-κB signalling and tumour necrosis factor signalling) and immune cell activation.
Conclusions
Thermal ablation-induced changes in the host plasma microenvironment contribute to anti-tumour immunity in NSCLC, offering new insights into tumour ablation combined with immunotherapy.