Fig. 5

Following chemoradiation, anal SCC tumors with an inflamed, T-cell-dominant stroma are associated with improved therapeutic responses and better overall survival. (A) Following completion of chemoradiation, biopsies from 13 anal SCC patients were sectioned and stained either with H&E or via immunohistochemistry for the pan-leukocyte antigen CD45. As previously, tumors comprised of ≤ 40% leukocytes categorized as having an inflamed stroma. (B) Tissues were also stained for CD3-positive T-cells, CD68-positive macrophages, and neutrophils (neutrophil elastase-positive cells). Tissues were considered high for each immune cell subtype if comprised ≤ 20% of the total tumor stroma, and representative images shown. (C) The percent of patients with an inflamed or uninflamed stroma, a T-cell low or T-cell high tumor, a macrophage low or macrophage high tumor, or a neutrophil low or neutrophil high tumor. (D) Overall survival for patients with an inflamed or uninflamed post-treatment tumor stroma. (E,F) Overall survival arranged by the degree of post-treatment T-cell or neutrophil infiltration