Immune checkpoint receptor VISTA on immune cells is associated with expression of T-cell exhaustion marker TOX and worse prognosis in renal cell carcinoma with venous tumor thrombus.

For the first time, we demonstrated the expression of VISTA- and TOX-positive TAICs in the venous tumor thrombus. We found the association between immune checkpoint receptors and T cell exhaustion markers in both tumor mass and venous thrombus. Finally, we demonstrated that abundance of VISTA-positive TAICs in venous tumor thrombus correlates with worse outcomes in ccRCC.