Chemoradiation-Related Lymphopenia and Its Association with Survival in Patients with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Anal Canal.

This is the first detailed report demonstrating that standard chemoradiation (CRT) commonly results in treatment-related lymphopenia (TRL), which may be associated with a poorer overall survival (OS) in patients with anal squamous cell carcinoma. The association between TRL and worse OS observed in this study supports the importance of host immunity in survival among patients with anal cancer. These findings encourage larger, prospective studies to further investigate TRL, its predictors, and its relationship with survival outcomes. Furthermore, the results of this study support ongoing efforts of clinical trials to investigate the potential role of immunotherapy in anal cancer.