Th17/Treg cell balance in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma: a new potential biomarker and therapeutic target

Meng-Han Huo; Yilinuer Adeerjiang; Ayiguzhali Abulitipu; Umair Khan; Xin-Xi Li; Lei Zhang; Ye Tian; Sheng Jiang; Can-Can Xu; Xian-Zhen Chao; Ye-Fan Yang; Jin-Xia Zhang; Guo-Li Du

doi:10.3389/fonc.2024.1325575

Th17/Treg cell balance in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma: a new potential biomarker and therapeutic target

Front Oncol. 2024 Oct 29:14:1325575. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1325575. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Meng-Han Huo^#^{1

2

3}, Yilinuer Adeerjiang^#^{1

2}, Ayiguzhali Abulitipu^#^{1

2}, Umair Khan^{1

2}, Xin-Xi Li⁴, Lei Zhang⁴, Ye Tian⁴, Sheng Jiang^{1

2}, Can-Can Xu⁵, Xian-Zhen Chao⁵, Ye-Fan Yang⁵, Jin-Xia Zhang⁵, Guo-Li Du^{1

2

6}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, Urumqi, China.
² Department of Endocrinology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China.
³ Department of Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, Tianjin Haihe Hospital, Tianjin, China.
⁴ Department of Endocrine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
⁵ First Clinical Medical College of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
⁶ Department of Endocrinology, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture People's Hospital, Kuerle, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common subtype of thyroid carcinoma. The most effective treatment for PTC is surgical resection, and patients who undergo surgery have good survival outcomes, but some patients have distant metastasis or even multiorgan metastases at the time of initial diagnosis. Distant metastasis is associated with poorer prognosis and a higher mortality rate. Helper T lymphocyte 17 (Th17) cells and regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) play different roles in PTC, and the Th17/Treg balance is closely related to the progression of PTC. Th17 cells play anticancer roles, whereas Tregs play cancer-promoting roles. A Th17/Treg imbalance promotes tumor progression and accelerates invasive behaviors such as tumor metastasis. Th17/Treg homeostasis can be regulated by the TGF-β/IL-2 and IL-6 cytokine axes. Immune checkpoint inhibitors contribute to Treg/Th17 cell homeostasis. For PTC, monoclonal antibodies against CTLA-4, PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibit the activation of Tregs, reversing the Th17/Treg cell imbalance and providing a new option for the prevention and treatment of PTC. This article reviews the role of Tregs and Th17 cells in PTC and their potential targets, aiming to provide better treatment options for PTC.

Keywords: Th17; Th17/Treg homeostasis; Treg; checkpoint blockade; papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The survey was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81960078), State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, Xinjiang Medical University (SKL-HIDCA-2021-2 and SKL-HIDCA-2024-1), Natural Science Foundation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Outstanding Youth Science Foundation Project (2021D01E28), Xinjiang Young Scientific and Technical Talents Training Project (2019Q040) and Xinjiang Youth Science and Technology Top Talents Special Project (2022TSYCCX0103), Student Research Training Program (S202210760135), Science and technology innovation team project (2022TSYCTD0014).