CD8+CD103+ Tumor–Infiltrating Lymphocytes Are Tumor-Specific Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells and a Prognostic Factor for Survival in Lung Cancer Patients

Abstract We had previously demonstrated the role of CD103 integrin on lung tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) clones in promoting specific TCR-mediated epithelial tumor cell cytotoxicity. However, the contribution of CD103 on intratumoral T cell distribution and functions and the prognosis significance of TIL subpopulations in non–small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) have thus far not been systematically addressed. In this study, we show that an enhanced CD103+ TIL subset correlates with improved early stage NSCLC patient survival and increased intraepithelial lymphocyte infiltration. Moreover, our results indicate that CD8+CD103+ TIL, freshly isolated from NSCLC specimens, display transcriptomic and phenotypic signatures characteristic of tissue-resident memory T cells and frequently express PD-1 and Tim-3 checkpoint receptors. This TIL subset also displays increased activation-induced cell death and mediates specific cytolytic activity toward autologous tumor cells upon blockade of the PD-1–PD-L1 interaction. These findings emphasize the role of CD8+CD103+ tissue-resident memory T cells in promoting intratumoral CTL responses and support the rationale for using anti–PD-1 blocking Ab to reverse tumor-induced T cell exhaustion in NSCLC patients.