{
  "abstract": "Purpose: Clinical response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) remains variable. We asked whether immune-cell populations in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are associated with benefit across treatments and tumor types. Experimental Design: We analyzed pretreatment bulk tumor RNA-seq from ICB cohorts and TCGA. Gene-level effects associated with ICB response or TCGA survival were projected onto Human Primary Cell Atlas profiles of 157 cell types. Cox and mixed-effects models accounted for cancer type, cohort, and therapy, as appropriate. After {gamma}{delta} T cells emerged as a leading population, we adjusted their associations for eight CD8 estimators and evaluated them using TRUST4-based TRG/TRD reconstruction and single-cell RNA-seq. Results: {gamma}{delta} T-cell programs were among the signatures consistently associated with ICB response and favorable TCGA survival. Across ICB cohorts, {gamma}{delta} T-cell abundance was associated with response (n=1,356; OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.23-1.56) and overall survival (n=1,074; HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.76-0.88), with associations persisting after CD8 adjustment. ICB-response-associated cell-type profiles were strongly concordant with chemotherapy response (r=0.92) and moderately concordant with radiation response (r=0.58); targeted and hormone therapy analyses were underpowered. TRUST4 reconstruction and single-cell RNA-seq provided orthogonal support for the {gamma}{delta} signal. Conclusions: Pretreatment {gamma}{delta} T-cell abundance was associated with favorable ICB outcomes and survival across cancers, while related cell-type programs extended to selected non-immunotherapy response settings. Although associative and context dependent, these findings support prospective evaluation of {gamma}{delta} T-cell abundance as a candidate tumor-immune biomarker.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Tumor AI lab, University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center; Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico; New Mexico Veteran Affairs Medical Ce"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "X. Niu"
    },
    {
      "name": "D. L. Kundnani"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Dicome"
    },
    {
      "name": "L. Tafoya"
    },
    {
      "name": "L. Song"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Mamedov"
    },
    {
      "name": "X. S. Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "A. D. Sahu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4wwexm1y6py9e.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.08.27.747587",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.747587v1.full",
  "id": "4wwexm1y6py9e",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.747587v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "immunology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2730|Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7204877534",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.747587v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-08-27",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4wwexm1y6py9e.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:06Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.08.27.747587",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.747587v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:immunology",
      "subfield": "immunology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Tumor γδ T-cell abundance is associated with favorable cancer treatment outcomes",
  "title_text": "Tumor γδ T-cell abundance is associated with favorable cancer treatment outcomes",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:06Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4wwexm1y6py9e",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}