Identification and Analysis of Dysfunctional Genes and Pathways in CD8 T Cells of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Based on RNA Sequencing.

Lung cancer, the most common of malignant tumors, is typically of the non-small cell (NSCLC) type. T-cell-based immunotherapies are a promising and powerful approach to treating NSCLCs. To characterize the CD8 T cells of non-small cell lung cancer, we re-analyzed the published RNA-Seq gene expression profiles of 36 CD8 T cell isolated from tumor (TIL) samples and 32 adjacent uninvolved lung (NTIL) samples. With an advanced Monte Carlo method of feature selection, we identified the CD8 TIL specific expression patterns. These patterns revealed the key dysfunctional genes and pathways in CD8 TIL and shed light on the molecular mechanisms of immunity and use of immunotherapy.