The Microenvironment of Small Intestinal Neuroendocrine Tumours Contains Lymphocytes Capable of Recognition and Activation after Expansion

Abstract

Traditionally, immune evasion and immunotherapy have been studied in cancers with a high mutational load such as melanoma or lung cancer. In contrast, small intestinal neuroendocrine tumours (SINETs) present a low frequency of somatic mutations and are described as genetically stable tumours, rendering immunotherapies largely unchartered waters for SINET patients. SINETs frequently metastasise to the regional lymph nodes and liver at the time of diagnosis, and no curative treatments are currently available for patients with disseminated disease. Here, we characterised the immune landscape of SINET and demonstrated that tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) can be expanded and activated during autologous tumour challenge. The composition of lymphocyte subsets was determined by immunophenotyping of the SINET microenvironment in one hepatic and six lymph node metastases. TILs from these metastases were successfully grown out, enabling immunophenotyping and assessment of PD-1 expression. Expansion of the TILs and exposure to autologous tumour cells in vitro resulted in increased T lymphocyte degranulation. This study provides insights into the largely unknown SINET immune landscape and reveals the anti-tumour reactivity of TILs, which might merit adoptive T cell transfer as a feasible treatment option for patients with SINET.