INTRODUCTION: The airway-centered interstitial fibrosis (ACIF) is related to peribronchial and/or peribronchiolar remodeling. Its etiologies may be related to immune and/or inflammatory mechanisms. However, the role of dendritic cell (DC) to modulate a survival is not known.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To analyze DC immunoexpression as a survival biomarker in patients with airway-centered interstitial fibrosis.

METHODS: 21 surgical lung biopsies with diagnosis for airway-centered interstitial fibrosis were selected between 2017-2021. Their clinical data were collected for survival. Immunohistochemical for CLEC9a and CD1c with dendritic morphology cells and their morphometry were performed.

RESULTS: While a high expression of DC with immunophenotype CLEC9a+ (>1,50 cells/ cm2) was associated with worse survival, a high expression of DC with the immunophenotype CD1c+ (>=2,04 cells/cm2) was associated with a better survival.

CONCLUSION: The immune and/or inflammatory pathways may play a critical role for ACIF progression and the DC is a key cell. Our study demonstrated that DC may be a potential new tool in predicting patient`s survival in ACIF. (FAPESP No 2019/01517-3, No 2019/19591-5, 2021/10981-5 and FAEPA - No 1988/2019)