The prognostic significance of peritumoral lymphocytes' band-like structure in type II endometrial cancer

Background/Aim: Peritumoral ectopic lymphoidlike structures and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), have been identified in various cancers. However, evidence for the role of TLS in endometrial cancer (EC) is lacking. We found a cluster of peritumoral lymphocytes with band-like structures (PLB) in the forefront of EC and analyzed their association with the clinical outcome. Materials and Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study. We evaluated peritumoral lymphoid cells using conventional hematoxylineosin and immunohistochemical staining by semi-quantitative digital analysis. Results: A total of 85 cases were included and the presence of PLB was examined. A strong correlation was observed between the density of PLB and progression-free survival (very low, low vs. intermediate, high; HR=0.22; 95%CI=0.093-0.52; p<0.001) and overall survival (very low, low vs. intermediate, high; HR=0.259; 95%CI=0.091-0.73; p=0.011). Conclusion: PLB in type II EC show a strong association with fatal outcome.