Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40135037›Full record

ArticleCureus2025

Predictive Role of Lymph Node Germinal Centers in Postoperative Recurrence of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy.

Yohei Kawaguchi, Munehide Nakatsugawa, Nanako Nishioka, Taiyo Nakamura, Kentaro Imai, Takuya Aoki, Naohiro Kajiwara, Norihiko Ikeda

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Yohei KawaguchiDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center, Hachioji, JPN.
Munehide NakatsugawaDepartment of Diagnostic Pathology, Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center, Hachioji, JPN.
Nanako NishiokaDepartment of Pharmacology, Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center, Hachioji, JPN.
Taiyo NakamuraDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center, Hachioji, JPN.
Kentaro ImaiDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center, Hachioji, JPN.
Takuya AokiDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical center, Hachioji, JPN.
Naohiro KajiwaraDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center, Hachioji, JPN.
Norihiko IkedaDepartment of Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku, JPN.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction The germinal center (GC) in lymph nodes plays an important role in immune responses; however, their relevance to the effects of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) remains unclear. The relationship between GC and ICI efficacy is investigated in this study. Materials and methods This investigation included 16 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with postoperative recurrence who were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) between January 2016 and April 2022. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the presence of GC in the lymph nodes. Additionally, the association between the number of lymph nodes dissected during pulmonary resection and ICI efficacy was evaluated. Results Sixteen patients were included with eight GC+ patients and eight GC- patients. The presence of GC positively influenced ICI efficacy, with the objective response rate (ORR) being significantly higher in the GC+ group (62.5%) compared to the GC- group (12.5%) (p=0.039). Disease control rate (DCR) was also more favorable in the GC+ group (100%) compared to the GC- group (50%) (p=0.021). Additionally, patients with fewer lymph nodes dissected at surgery had a better progression-free survival (median: 15.7 months) than those with more lymph nodes dissected (median: 7.4 months) (p=0.027). Conclusion GC in the lymph nodes can enhance the efficacy of ICI in treating NSCLC. Moreover, the number of dissected lymph nodes has emerged as a crucial prognostic factor that influences the effectiveness of treatment. These findings underscore the importance of considering lymph node characteristics in personalized ICI therapy for NSCLC.

Indexed as

germinal centerimmune checkpoint inhibitors (icis)lymph node dissectionmetastatic non-small cell lung cancernon-small cell lung cancer (nsclc)

Identifiers

PMID40135037
PMCPMC11936490

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.