On a retrospective series of frozen tissue of renal cell carcinomas (RCC), using a fluorescence multispectral imaging technology coupled with an image analysis software, it was found that co-expression of PD-1 and Tim-3 on tumor infiltrating CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells is correlated with a poor prognosis in RCC.
Using the VectraR automated multiparametric immunofluorescence technique, we quantified intratumoral CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells coexpressing the inhibitory receptors PD-1 and Tim-3 from patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
In conclusion, interference with Tim‑3 expression may attenuate the invasion of renal cell carcinoma by aggravating anoikis, indicating Tim‑3 as a potential therapeutic target for treating ccRCC.
These results suggest that polymorphisms in the TIM-3 gene are new risk factors for RCC and that TIM-3 may play important roles in regulating the prognosis of this disease.