Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 expression in esophageal carcinoma: implications for prognosis

To examine the relationship between cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) expression and esophageal carcinoma prognosis, CTLA-4 expression was immunohistochemically detected in paraffin-embedded primary tumor specimens from 158 patients with esophageal cancer. CTLA-4 was detected in the cytoplasm and cell membranes of esophageal cancer cells and in interstitial lymphocytes. In univariate analyses (log-rank), higher interstitial CTLA-4+ lymphocyte density and higher tumor CTLA-4 expression were associated with shorter overall survival (OS). After controlling for age and clinical stage, multivariate analysis (Cox) found that tumor CTLA-4 expression was an independent predictor of shorter OS (HR 2.016, P = 0.004). These results indicate that CTLA-4 expression in the tumor environment (both lymphocytes and tumor cells) is associated with poorer prognosis. In addition, CTLA-4 profiles may be useful for predicting the benefits and toxicity of CTLA-4 blockade in patients with esophageal carcinoma.