Spatial interaction of tumor cells and regulatory T cells correlates with survival in non-small cell lung cancer

Increased infiltration of regulatory T cells into core tumor regions is an independent predictor of worse overall survival in NSCLC. However, increased infiltration of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells among regulatory T cells seems to mitigate this effect and was significantly associated with better survival. Validation of the G-cross method of measuring spatial proximity between tumor and immune cell types and exploration of its use as a prognostic factor in lung cancer treatment is warranted.