Immune cells in the gastrointestinal tract: NKG2D receptor could indicate how people with liver cancer will fare

Gastrointestinal tumors account for more than one third of all cancer-related deaths worldwide. So-called MAIT cells could play an important role in the body’s own defense. These immune cells can recognize and destroy tumor cells, but their function is often impaired in tumor tissue. A research team at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, led by Katja Kotsch, has now examined these cells in five types of gastrointestinal cancer. The result: on MAIT cells within the tumor, the activating receptor NKG2D is reduced in all five cancer types. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), this is also linked to patient survival. The Wilhelm Sander-Stiftung funded the project with €142,000.