Extensive infiltration of CD8+ T cells and M1 macrophages is beneficial for multiple cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy

Not all patients can benefit from chemotherapy due to the various of tumor type, stage, location, and the different distribution of immune cells in tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Immune cells are widely involved in every step of cancer progression, including immune escape, metastasis, drug response, and prognosis. In this study, we explored the transcriptome data of 10 solid tumors treated with chemotherapy to identify the role of immune cells. We downloaded the transcriptome and mutation data of 10 cancers from TCGA databases, and used ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms to assess the proportion of immune cells in the TIME. According to the proportion of specific immune cell infiltration (SICI) of CD8⁺ T cells and M1 macrophages to group the patients, we found that compared with the SICI low and medium groups, the SICI high group had a larger tumor mutation burden, more gene mutations with targeted drugs, more activation of immune checkpoints (PD-1, PD-L1, CTLA-4, LAG-3, TIM-3, and TIGIT), and immune molecules (CD8a, CD80, CD86, TLR2, HLA-A, HLA-B, and CD11a) (p < 0.05). Therefore, we can select an appropriate treatment for patients by clarifying the proportion of immune infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells and M1 macrophages in the TIME.