Fig. 5

Prognostic value of systemic anti-TERT Th1 response and exhausted PD-1⁺/TIM-3⁺ CD4⁺ T cells in NSCLC. a–c Association between the level of circulating anti-TERT CD4 Th1 response and overall survival. A threshold (low < 3.7 < high) was defined based on the ratio of TERT-specific IFN-γ spots. Kaplan–Meier curves according to anti-TERT Th1 ratio: in all TERT responders (n = 59) (a), in localised stages (n = 39) (b) and in metastatic stages (n = 20) (c) (log-rank tests). d Association between the level of circulating PD-1⁺TIM-3⁺ CD4⁺ T-cell subsets and overall survival. Two groups were determined based on the median rate of exhausted PD-1⁺TIM-3⁺ CD4⁺ T-cell (0.9). Kaplan–Meier curves according to PD-1⁺TIM-3⁺ T cell (log-rank tests). e, f Patients were classified into distinct groups based on the anti-TERT CD4 Th1 ratio and the median level of PD-1⁺TIM-3⁺CD4⁺T cells. e, f Kaplan–Meier curves for the following groups: anti-TERT Th1^high/CD4⁺PD1⁺TIM3^low (green), anti-TERT Th1^high/CD4⁺PD1⁺TIM3^high (blue), anti-TERT Th1^low/CD4⁺PD1⁺TIM3^low (black), anti-TERT Th1^low/CD4⁺PD1⁺TIM3^high (red) (log-rank test). Patients in the “blue” and “dark” groups are pooled in (f). g Schema of the relationship between anti-TERT Th1 immunity- exhausted PD-1⁺TIM-3⁺ CD4⁺ T cells and NSCLC progression