Despite advancements in immunotherapies, the diversity of the tumor microenvironment remains a challenge for cancer treatment. To elucidate microenvironment-specific differences in antitumor responses, we established patient-derived ex vivo tumor-lung slices. We analyzed immune activation profiles after treatment with anti-CD3/CD28 and the checkpoint inhibitor Nivolumab. Lung slices from non-tumor, tumor-adjacent, tumor-border, and tumor-central tissue were generated and assessed for viability, cell composition, and immune competence via flow cytometry, soluble factor secretion, and bulk RNA-sequencing. The tumor-border contained the highest number of immune cells (8.3-fold vs. non-tumor), secreted tumor markers (S100 and CA15-3), and exhibited high levels of inflammatory mediators (IFN
Keywords
