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Lee S, Kang BH, Lee HB, Jang BS, Han W, Kim IA. B-Cell-Mediated Immunity Predicts Survival of Patients With Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer. JCO Precis Oncol 2024; 8:e2300263. [PMID: 38452311 DOI: 10.1200/po.23.00263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer (BC), which constitutes the majority of BC cases, exhibits highly heterogeneous clinical behavior. To aid precision treatments, we aimed to find molecular subtypes of ER+ BC representing the tumor microenvironment and prognosis. METHODS We analyzed RNA-seq data of 113 patients with BC and classified them according to the PAM50 intrinsic subtypes using gene expression profiles. Among them, we further focused on 44 patients with luminal-type (ER+) BC for subclassification. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data of patients with BC were used as a validation data set to verify the new classification. We estimated the immune cell composition using CIBERSORT and further analyzed its association with clinical or molecular parameters. RESULTS Principal component analysis clearly divided the patients into two subgroups separately from the luminal A and B classification. The top differentially expressed genes between the subgroups were distinctly characterized by immunoglobulin and B-cell-related genes. We could also cluster a separate cohort of patients with luminal-type BC from TCGA into two subgroups on the basis of the expression of a B-cell-specific gene set, and patients who were predicted to have high B-cell immune activity had better prognoses than other patients. CONCLUSION Our transcriptomic approach emphasize a molecular phenotype of B-cell immunity in ER+ BC that may help to predict disease prognosis. Although further researches are required, B-cell immunity for patients with ER+ BC may be helpful for identifying patients who are good responders to chemotherapy or immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seungbok Lee
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung-Hee Kang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Han-Byoel Lee
- Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Bum-Sup Jang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Wonshik Han
- Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - In Ah Kim
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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2
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Xu JL, Yang MX, Lan HR, Jin KT. Could immunoscore improve the prognostic and therapeutic management in patients with solid tumors? Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 124:110981. [PMID: 37769534 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
The Immunoscore (ISc) is an emerging immune-based scoring system that has shown potential in improving the prognostic and therapeutic management of patients with solid tumors. The ISc evaluates the immune infiltrate within the tumor microenvironment (TME) and has demonstrated superior predictive ability compared to traditional histopathological parameters. It has been particularly promising in colorectal, lung, breast, and melanoma cancers. This review summarizes the clinical evidence supporting the prognostic value of the ISc and explores its potential in guiding therapeutic decisions, such as the selection of adjuvant therapies and recognizing patients likely to profit from immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The challenges and future directions of ISc implementation are also discussed, including standardization and integration into routine clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Lun Xu
- Department of Dermatology, Jinhua Fifth Hospital, Jinhua, Zhejiang 321000, China
| | - Meng-Xiang Yang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Affiliated Jinhua Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, Zhejiang 321000, China
| | - Huan-Rong Lan
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Hangzhou Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310002, China.
| | - Ke-Tao Jin
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Affiliated Jinhua Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, Zhejiang 321000, China.
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Gonzàlez-Farré M, Gibert J, Santiago-Díaz P, Menéndez S, Monzonis X, Olivares F, Riera X, López D, Torner A, Casado B, Bellosillo B, Lloveras B, Casadevall D, Rovira A, Servitja S, Albanell J, Vázquez I, Comerma L. Characterization and spatial distribution of the immune cell infiltrate in triple-negative breast cancer: a novel classification based on plasma cells and CD8+ T cells. Hum Pathol 2023; 139:91-105. [PMID: 37517596 DOI: 10.1016/j.humpath.2023.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) are a robust prognostic and predictive biomarker in triple-negative breast carcinoma. However, the sTIL compartment comprises different cell populations. The aim of the study is to characterize the distribution of T cells (CD3+ and CD8+), B cells, and plasma cells and explore their association with outcome in the surgical specimen of 62 patients. Furthermore, programmed death ligand 1 expression and the presence of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are explored. Patients with higher sTILs achieve better progression-free survival (PFS) (P = .0013), and tumors have more plasma cells in the infiltrate. Specifically, higher counts of T cells (both CD3+ and CD8+) have better PFS (P = .002 and P = .0086, respectively) as it is observed in tumors with higher infiltration of CD8+ T cells in the tumor core (P = .035). Higher infiltration by B cells and plasma cells shows a positive tendency toward increased PFS (P = .06 and P = .058). Programmed death ligand 1 (SP142) is positive in 56% of tumors. Tumors with at least 1 TLS (42%) show higher CD8+ T cell infiltration in the tumor core and the sTIL value doubles compared to tumors devoid of TLSs [sTIL mean: 36 ± 11% and 18 ± 5% (CI [Confidence Interval]: 95%), respectively]. Our study demonstrates that the characterization of the immune cell infiltration is as relevant as its distribution. Moreover, the importance of considering different immune cell types for classification is emphasized. Therefore, a new classification of triple-negative breast carcinoma immune infiltration with CD8+ T cell and plasma cell densities in the tumor core and infiltrative margin is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mònica Gonzàlez-Farré
- Department of Pathology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Joan Gibert
- Department of Pathology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Silvia Menéndez
- Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Monzonis
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Xènia Riera
- Department of Pathology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - David López
- Department of Pathology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ariadna Torner
- Department of Pathology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Beatriz Casado
- Department of Pathology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Beatriz Bellosillo
- Department of Pathology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS), University Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Belén Lloveras
- Department of Pathology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS), University Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Casadevall
- Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana Rovira
- Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sònia Servitja
- Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Albanell
- Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain; Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS), University Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ivonne Vázquez
- Department of Pathology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Comerma
- Department of Pathology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
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Lam BM, Verrill C. Clinical Significance of Tumour-Infiltrating B Lymphocytes (TIL-Bs) in Breast Cancer: A Systematic Literature Review. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15041164. [PMID: 36831506 PMCID: PMC9953777 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15041164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Although T lymphocytes have been considered the major players in the tumour microenvironment to induce tumour regression and contribute to anti-tumour immunity, much less is known about the role of tumour-infiltrating B lymphocytes (TIL-Bs) in solid malignancies, particularly in breast cancer, which has been regarded as heterogeneous and much less immunogenic compared to other common tumours like melanoma, colorectal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Such paucity of research could translate to limited opportunities for this most common type of cancer in the UK to join the immunotherapy efforts in this era of precision medicine. Here, we provide a systematic literature review assessing the clinical significance of TIL-Bs in breast cancer. Articles published between January 2000 and April 2022 were retrieved via an electronic search of two databases (PubMed and Embase) and screened against pre-specified eligibility criteria. The majority of studies reported favourable prognostic and predictive roles of TIL-Bs, indicating that they could have a profound impact on the clinical outcome of breast cancer. Further studies are, however, needed to better define the functional role of B cell subpopulations and to discover ways to harness this intrinsic mechanism in the fight against breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian M. Lam
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
- Correspondence:
| | - Clare Verrill
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
- Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
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Lanciano T, Savino A, Porcu F, Cittaro D, Bonchi F, Provero P. Contrast subgraphs allow comparing homogeneous and heterogeneous networks derived from omics data. Gigascience 2022; 12:giad010. [PMID: 36852877 PMCID: PMC9972522 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giad010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biological networks are often used to describe the relationships between relevant entities, particularly genes and proteins, and are a powerful tool for functional genomics. Many important biological problems can be investigated by comparing biological networks between different conditions or networks obtained with different techniques. FINDINGS We show that contrast subgraphs, a recently introduced technique to identify the most important structural differences between 2 networks, provide a versatile tool for comparing gene and protein networks of diverse origin. We demonstrate the use of contrast subgraphs in the comparison of coexpression networks derived from different subtypes of breast cancer, coexpression networks derived from transcriptomic and proteomic data, and protein-protein interaction networks assayed in different cell lines. CONCLUSIONS These examples demonstrate how contrast subgraphs can provide new insight in functional genomics by extracting the gene/protein modules whose connectivity is most altered between 2 conditions or experimental techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aurora Savino
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Turin 10126, Italy
| | | | - Davide Cittaro
- Center for Omics Sciences, San Raffaele Scientific Institute IRCSS, Milan 20132, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Provero
- Center for Omics Sciences, San Raffaele Scientific Institute IRCSS, Milan 20132, Italy
- Department of Neurosciences “Rita Levi Montalcini,” University of Turin, Turin 10126, Italy
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Song J, Hu L, Liu B, Jiang N, Huang H, Luo J, Wang L, Zeng J, Huang F, Huang M, Cai L, Tang L, Chen S, Chen Y, Wu A, Zheng S, Chen Q. The Emerging Role of Immune Cells and Targeted Therapeutic Strategies in Diabetic Wounds Healing. J Inflamm Res 2022; 15:4119-4138. [PMID: 35898820 PMCID: PMC9309318 DOI: 10.2147/jir.s371939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Poor wound healing in individuals with diabetes has long plagued clinicians, and immune cells play key roles in the inflammation, proliferation and remodeling that occur in wound healing. When skin integrity is damaged, immune cells migrate to the wound bed through the actions of chemokines and jointly restore tissue homeostasis and barrier function by exerting their respective biological functions. An imbalance of immune cells often leads to ineffective and disordered inflammatory responses. Due to the maladjusted microenvironment, the wound is unable to smoothly transition to the proliferation and remodeling stage, causing it to develop into a chronic refractory wound. However, chronic refractory wounds consistently lead to negative outcomes, such as long treatment cycles, high hospitalization rates, high medical costs, high disability rates, high mortality rates, and many adverse consequences. Therefore, strategies that promote the rational distribution and coordinated development of immune cells during wound healing are very important for the treatment of diabetic wounds (DW). Here, we explored the following aspects by performing a literature review: 1) the current situation of DW and an introduction to the biological functions of immune cells; 2) the role of immune cells in DW; and 3) existing (or undeveloped) therapies targeting immune cells to promote wound healing to provide new ideas for basic research, clinical treatment and nursing of DW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianying Song
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
- School of Nursing, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lixin Hu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
- School of Nursing, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Bo Liu
- School of Nursing, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Nan Jiang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Houqiang Huang
- Department of Nursing, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - JieSi Luo
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Long Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jing Zeng
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Feihong Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Min Huang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Medicine, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Luyao Cai
- School of Nursing, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lingyu Tang
- School of Nursing, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shunli Chen
- School of Nursing, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yinyi Chen
- School of Nursing, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Anguo Wu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Silin Zheng
- Department of Nursing, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qi Chen
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
- School of Nursing, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Metabolic Vascular Disease Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Luzhou, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China
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7
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Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) in Early Breast Cancer Patients: High CD3+, CD8+, and Immunoscore Are Associated with a Pathological Complete Response. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14102525. [PMID: 35626126 PMCID: PMC9139282 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14102525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary In 2021, the World Health Organization announced that breast cancer had overtaken lung cancer to become the most common cancer globally, accounting for 12% of all new cancer cases, with younger women resident in low-income countries having the lowest 5-year survival rates. The main aim of the current study was to evaluate the prognostic utility of an innovative, objective, computer-assisted, digital imaging procedure known as the Immunoscore for clinical research (ISCR) as a strategy to reveal the efficiency of the anti-tumor cellular immune landscape of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in biopsies taken from women diagnosed with early breast cancer prior to administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgical resection. Our results demonstrated the ability of the ISCR to enumerate tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in the TME and, in particular, to illustrate the spatial arrangement of these cells, which, importantly, correlated with clinical outcome, measured as the pathological complete response. Abstract Background: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are associated with a better prognosis in early triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). These cells can be enumerated in situ by the “Immunoscore Clinical Research” (ISCR). The original Immunoscore® is a prognostic tool that categorizes the densities of CD3+ and CD8+ cells in both the invasive margin (IM) and center of the tumor (CT) in localized colon cancer, yielding a five-tiered classification (0–4). We evaluated the prognostic potential of ISCR and pathological complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Methods: The cohort included 53 TNBC, 32 luminal BC, and 18 HER2-positive BC patients undergoing NACT. Pre-treatment tumor biopsies were immune-stained for CD3+ and CD8+ T-cell markers. Quantitative analysis of these cells in different tumor locations was performed using computer-assisted image analysis. Results: The pCR rate was 44%. Univariate analysis showed that primary tumor size, estrogen-receptor negative, progesterone-receptor negative, luminal vs. HER2-positive vs. TNBC, high Ki-67, high densities (cells/mm2) of CD3 CT, CD8+ CT, CD3+ IM, and CD8+ IM cells were associated with a high pCR. ISCR was associated with pCR following NACT. A multivariate model consisting of ISCR and the significant variables from the univariate analysis showed a significant trend for ISCR; however, the low sample size did not provide enough power for the model to be included in this study. Conclusions: These results revealed a significant prognostic role for the spatial distributions of the CD3+, and CD8+ lymphocytes, as well as the ISCR in relation to pCR following NACT.
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Zhang M, Liu ZZ, Aoshima K, Cai WL, Sun H, Xu T, Zhang Y, An Y, Chen JF, Chan LH, Aoshima A, Lang SM, Tang Z, Che X, Li Y, Rutter SJ, Bossuyt V, Chen X, Morrow JS, Pusztai L, Rimm DL, Yin M, Yan Q. CECR2 drives breast cancer metastasis by promoting NF-κB signaling and macrophage-mediated immune suppression. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabf5473. [PMID: 35108062 PMCID: PMC9003667 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abf5473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Metastasis is the major cause of cancer-related deaths due to the lack of effective therapies. Emerging evidence suggests that certain epigenetic and transcriptional regulators drive cancer metastasis and could be targeted for metastasis treatment. To identify epigenetic regulators of breast cancer metastasis, we profiled the transcriptomes of matched pairs of primary breast tumors and metastases from human patients. We found that distant metastases are more immune inert with increased M2 macrophages compared to their matched primary tumors. The acetyl-lysine reader, cat eye syndrome chromosome region candidate 2 (CECR2), was the top up-regulated epigenetic regulator in metastases associated with an increased abundance of M2 macrophages and worse metastasis-free survival. CECR2 was required for breast cancer metastasis in multiple mouse models, with more profound effect in the immunocompetent setting. Mechanistically, the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) family member v-rel avian reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog A (RELA) recruits CECR2 to increase chromatin accessibility and activate the expression of their target genes. These target genes include multiple metastasis-promoting genes, such as TNC, MMP2, and VEGFA, and cytokine genes CSF1 and CXCL1, which are critical for immunosuppression at metastatic sites. Consistent with these results, pharmacological inhibition of CECR2 bromodomain impeded NF-κB-mediated immune suppression by macrophages and inhibited breast cancer metastasis. These results reveal that targeting CECR2 may be a strategy to treat metastatic breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiling Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Zongzhi Z. Liu
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Keisuke Aoshima
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Laboratory of Comparative Pathology, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
| | - Wesley L. Cai
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Hongyin Sun
- Department of Dermatology, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Tianrui Xu
- Department of Dermatology, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Yangyi Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Yongyan An
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Jocelyn F. Chen
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Lok Hei Chan
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Asako Aoshima
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Sabine M. Lang
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Zhenwei Tang
- Department of Dermatology, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Xuanlin Che
- Department of Dermatology, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Yao Li
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Sara J. Rutter
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Veerle Bossuyt
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Xiang Chen
- Department of Dermatology, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Jon S. Morrow
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Lajos Pusztai
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Breast Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - David. L. Rimm
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Mingzhu Yin
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Qin Yan
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Yale Center for Immuno-Oncology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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9
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Magagna I, Gourdin N, Kieffer Y, Licaj M, Mhaidly R, Andre P, Morel A, Vincent-Salomon A, Paturel C, Mechta-Grigoriou F. CD73-Mediated Immunosuppression Is Linked to a Specific Fibroblast Population That Paves the Way for New Therapy in Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13235878. [PMID: 34884993 PMCID: PMC8657241 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13235878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) are heterogeneous with multiple functions in breast cancer. Recently, we identified a specific CAF subpopulation (referred to as CAF-S1), which promotes immunosuppression and immunotherapy resistance. METHODS AND RESULTS Here, by studying a large collection of human samples, we highlight the key function of CD73/NT5E in CAF-S1-mediated immunosuppression in breast cancer. We first reveal that CD73 protein level specifically accumulates in CAF-S1 in breast cancer patients. Interestingly, infiltration of regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) is significantly correlated with CD73 expression in stroma but not in epithelium, indicating that CD73 contributes to immunosuppression when expressed in CAF-S1 and not in tumor cells. By performing functional assays based on relevant systems using primary CAF-S1 isolated from patients, we demonstrate that CAF-S1 increase the content in both PD-1+ and CTLA-4+ Tregs. Importantly, the use of a blocking anti-CD73 antibody on CAF-S1 reduces CAF-S1-mediated immunosuppression by preventing expression of these immune checkpoints on Tregs. CONCLUSIONS Our data support the potential clinical benefit of using both anti-CD73 and immune-checkpoint inhibitors in breast cancer patients for inhibiting CAF-S1-mediated immunosuppression and enhancing anti-tumor immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Magagna
- Equipe labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 26, rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France; (I.M.); (Y.K.); (M.L.); (R.M.)
- Inserm, U830, 75005 Paris, France
- Innate Pharma, 117 Avenue de Luminy BP 30191, 13276 Marseille, France; (N.G.); (P.A.); (A.M.); (C.P.)
| | - Nicolas Gourdin
- Innate Pharma, 117 Avenue de Luminy BP 30191, 13276 Marseille, France; (N.G.); (P.A.); (A.M.); (C.P.)
| | - Yann Kieffer
- Equipe labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 26, rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France; (I.M.); (Y.K.); (M.L.); (R.M.)
- Inserm, U830, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Monika Licaj
- Equipe labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 26, rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France; (I.M.); (Y.K.); (M.L.); (R.M.)
- Inserm, U830, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Rana Mhaidly
- Equipe labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 26, rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France; (I.M.); (Y.K.); (M.L.); (R.M.)
- Inserm, U830, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Pascale Andre
- Innate Pharma, 117 Avenue de Luminy BP 30191, 13276 Marseille, France; (N.G.); (P.A.); (A.M.); (C.P.)
| | - Ariane Morel
- Innate Pharma, 117 Avenue de Luminy BP 30191, 13276 Marseille, France; (N.G.); (P.A.); (A.M.); (C.P.)
| | - Anne Vincent-Salomon
- Hospital Group, Department of Diagnostic and Theranostic Medicine, Institut Curie, 75005 Paris, France;
| | - Carine Paturel
- Innate Pharma, 117 Avenue de Luminy BP 30191, 13276 Marseille, France; (N.G.); (P.A.); (A.M.); (C.P.)
| | - Fatima Mechta-Grigoriou
- Equipe labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 26, rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris, France; (I.M.); (Y.K.); (M.L.); (R.M.)
- Inserm, U830, 75005 Paris, France
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +33-(0)1-56-24-66-53; Fax: +33-(0)1-56-24-66-50
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10
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Zhang J, Abubakar M, Yuan P, Koka H, Guo L, Li X, Yang XR, Ying J, Lyu N. Prognostic significance of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in premenopausal, luminal breast cancer treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy. Am J Transl Res 2021; 13:12750-12762. [PMID: 34956490 PMCID: PMC8661243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have strong prognostic value in triple-negative and HER2-enriched breast cancer, but their prognostic role in luminal breast cancer (LBC) is less clear. Here, we assessed the overall TIL levels and CD8+ T-cells in relation to the prognosis of LBC patients from China. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 596 patients with LBC who were premenopausal and treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy were included. Among them, 160 cases were evaluated for CD8 by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. Whole-section hematoxylin and eosin and IHC staining were visually assessed for stromal TILs (sTILs), stromal CD8+ T-cells (sCD8), and intratumoral CD8+ T-cells (iCD8). Multivariable analyses were used to test the associations between TILs and disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) with the adjustment for clinicopathologic characteristics and treatment. High sTILs (≥10%) were associated with high histologic grade (P<0.001), luminal B/HER2- (P<0.001), luminal B/HER2+ subtype (P=0.002), and high Ki67 expression (≥25%; P=0.014). Similar associations were observed for sCD8 but not for iCD8. While sTILs and sCD8 were not associated with either DFS or OS, the presence of iCD8 (≥1%) was associated with better DFS in both univariate (HR=0.51, 95% CI 0.26-0.96, P=0.042) and multivariate (HR=0.48, 95% CI 0.25-0.92, P=0.027) analyses. Similar but less significant associations were found for iCD8 and OS (adjusted HR=0.35, 95% CI 0.11-1.10, P=0.073). CONCLUSIONS Among Chinese premenopausal patients with LBC, iCD8 demonstrated suggestive associations with favorable outcome. In contrast, although sTILs and sCD8 were associated with more aggressive tumor features, they did not appear to be associated with clinical outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhang
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100021, China
| | - Mustapha Abubakar
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, BethesdaMD 20892, USA
| | - Pei Yuan
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100021, China
| | - Hela Koka
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, BethesdaMD 20892, USA
| | - Lei Guo
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100021, China
| | - Xin Li
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100021, China
| | - Xiaohong R Yang
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, BethesdaMD 20892, USA
| | - Jianming Ying
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100021, China
| | - Ning Lyu
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100021, China
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11
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Ye Y, Ma J, Zhang Q, Xiong K, Zhang Z, Chen C, Xiao H, Wang D. A CTL/M2 macrophage-related four-gene signature predicting metastasis-free survival in triple-negative breast cancer treated with adjuvant radiotherapy. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2021; 190:329-341. [PMID: 34482483 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-021-06379-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aimed to develop and validate a prognostic model for metastasis-free survival (MFS) based on genes that may functionally interact with cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and M2 macrophages in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who underwent adjuvant radiotherapy. METHODS The transcriptional and phenotypic profiles of TNBC and other breast cancer subtypes were downloaded from gene expression omnibus (GEO). The abundance of infiltrated immune cells was evaluated through CIBERSORTx or MCP-counter. A weighted linear model, the score for MFS (SMFS), was developed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) in GSE58812 and validated in GSE2034 and GSE12276. The biological implication of the SMFS was explored by evaluating its associations with TNBC molecular subtypes and other radiosensitivity- or immune-related signatures. RESULTS A model consisting of the PCDH12/ELP3, PCDH12/MSRA, and FAM160B2/MSRA gene expression ratios with non-zero coefficients finally selected by LASSO was developed using GSE58812. In GSE2034 (treatment with adjuvant radiotherapy), the SMFS was significantly associated with MFS in TNBC patients (hazard ratio (HR) = 8.767, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.856-41.408, P = 0.006) and, to a lesser extent, in non-TNBC patients (HR = 2.888, 95% CI 1.076-7.750, P = 0.035). However, the interaction of subtype (TNBC vs non-TNBC) and the SMFS tended to be significant (Pinteraction = 0.081). In contrast, the SMFS was not significantly associated with MFS in either TNBC patients (P = 0.499) or non-TNBC patients (P = 0.536) in GSE12276 (treatment without radiotherapy). Among the four TNBC molecular subtypes, the c1 and c4 subtypes exhibited higher CTL infiltration and lower SMFS values than the c2 and c3 subtypes. In addition, the SMFS was positively correlated with the abundance of endothelial cells (r = 0.413, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION The proposed model has the potential to predict MFS in TNBC patients after adjuvant radiotherapy, and the SMFS may represent a measurement of tumor immune suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunfei Ye
- Department of Cancer Center, Daping Hospital & Army Medical Center of PLA, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), No. 10 Changjiang Zhilu, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400042, China
| | - Jungang Ma
- Department of Cancer Center, Daping Hospital & Army Medical Center of PLA, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), No. 10 Changjiang Zhilu, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400042, China
| | - Qin Zhang
- Department of Cancer Center, Daping Hospital & Army Medical Center of PLA, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), No. 10 Changjiang Zhilu, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400042, China
| | - Kai Xiong
- Department of Cancer Center, Daping Hospital & Army Medical Center of PLA, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), No. 10 Changjiang Zhilu, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400042, China
| | - Zhimin Zhang
- Department of Cancer Center, Daping Hospital & Army Medical Center of PLA, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), No. 10 Changjiang Zhilu, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400042, China
| | - Chuan Chen
- Department of Cancer Center, Daping Hospital & Army Medical Center of PLA, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), No. 10 Changjiang Zhilu, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400042, China
| | - He Xiao
- Department of Cancer Center, Daping Hospital & Army Medical Center of PLA, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), No. 10 Changjiang Zhilu, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400042, China
| | - Dong Wang
- Department of Cancer Center, Daping Hospital & Army Medical Center of PLA, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), No. 10 Changjiang Zhilu, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400042, China.
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12
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Tavares MC, Sampaio CD, Lima GE, Andrade VP, Gonçalves DG, Macedo MP, Cordeiro de Lima VC. A high CD8 to FOXP3 ratio in the tumor stroma and expression of PTEN in tumor cells are associated with improved survival in non-metastatic triple-negative breast carcinoma. BMC Cancer 2021; 21:901. [PMID: 34362334 PMCID: PMC8343973 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-08636-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Triple-negative mammary carcinoma (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype associated with dismal prognosis. The interaction between the immune system and the cancer cells plays a crucial role in tumor development and progression. However, it is still unclear how each diverse cell of the immune system contributes to the prognosis of patients with breast cancer. In this study, we investigated how the cell composition of the immune cell infiltrated modifies the survival of patients with resected TNBC. Methods Retrospectively, we collected data from 76 patients diagnosed with non-metastatic TNBC with available tissue blocks for tissue micro-array (TMA) construction. The TMA was constructed using two cores from each tumor block. The expression of CD4, CD8, FOXP3, CD20, CD68, CD163, PD-1, PD-L1, PTEN and phospho-STAT1 was determined by immunohistochemistry. Results We observed that the inflammatory infiltrate in TNBC is enriched for M2 macrophages and T lymphocytes (CD4+, CD8+). PD-L1 expression in the stroma was associated with the percentage of TILs (p = 0.018) as, PD-L1 expression in the tumor was associated with the percentage of TILs (p = 0.049). We found a correlation between TILs and PD-L1 expression in stroma cells (p = 0.020) and in tumor cells (p = 0.027). In our cohort, we observed a trend for improved survival associated with higher CD8+ (p = 0.054) and CD4 + (p = 0.082) cell counts, but the results were not statistically significant. Conversely, the expression of PTEN in tumor cells and a low number of FOXP3+ cells in tumor stroma were both associated with improved OS. The CD8 to FOXP3 ratio and the CD4 to FOXP3 ratio were associated with better OS as well, however, only the CD8 to FOXP3 ratio had its prognostic impact confirmed in the METABRIC TNBC cohort. There was no association between PD-L1 expression and OS. Conclusion TNBC tumor microenvironment is enriched for lymphocytes and macrophages. FOXP3 expression and the CD8 to FOXP3 ratio in the tumor stroma as well as the loss of PTEN expression in tumor cells are prognostic factors in non-metastatic TNBC. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08636-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique C Tavares
- Department of Medical Oncology, AC Camargo Cancer Center, Rua Professor Antonio Prudente 211, ZIP:01525-001, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Cristina D Sampaio
- Department of Medical Oncology, AC Camargo Cancer Center, Rua Professor Antonio Prudente 211, ZIP:01525-001, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Geraldine E Lima
- Department of Medical Oncology, AC Camargo Cancer Center, Rua Professor Antonio Prudente 211, ZIP:01525-001, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Victor P Andrade
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, AC Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daniel G Gonçalves
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, International Center for Teaching and Research AC Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mariana P Macedo
- Departament of Anatomic Pathology, Hospital Sírio Libanês, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Vladmir C Cordeiro de Lima
- Department of Medical Oncology, AC Camargo Cancer Center, Rua Professor Antonio Prudente 211, ZIP:01525-001, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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13
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Nodal status in luminal A invasive breast cancer: relationships with cytotoxic CD8 + and regulatory FOXP3 + cells tumor-associated infiltrate and other prognostic factors. Virchows Arch 2021; 479:871-882. [PMID: 34117905 PMCID: PMC8572830 DOI: 10.1007/s00428-021-03126-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Luminal A breast cancers are generally associated with low metastatic potential and good prognosis. However, there is a proportion of patients, who present with metastases in lymph nodes. The aim of our study was to determine the association between the number of positive lymph nodes and infiltrates of tumor-associated cytotoxic CD8 + (CTLs), regulatory FOXP3 + T cells (Tregs), as well as other prognostic factors. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for CD8 + and FOXP3 + was performed in 87 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded primary breast cancer tissues, and cell infiltrate was assessed under light microscope. We observed that node-positive cases were associated with higher numbers of Treg cells and lower CTL/Treg ratio. There was also an inverse correlation between the CTL/Treg ratio and the number of metastatic lymph nodes. Similar relationships were found between the number of metastatic lymph nodes and Treg density or CTL/Treg ratio in pT1 BC. An elevated intratumoral CTL/Treg ratio was associated with pN0 stage. The relationship between lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and Treg density was also noted in node-negative tumors. In addition, more advanced nodal stage was related to LVI, higher pT, and lower PR expression. The numbers of CD8 + and FOXP3 + were also associated with tumor size, histologic grade, PR expression, and mitotic index. The results of our study suggested that the levels of tumor-infiltrating regulatory and cytotoxic cells as well as the balance between them play a role in lymphovascular spread of luminal A breast cancers.
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14
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Walens A, Olsson LT, Gao X, Hamilton AM, Kirk EL, Cohen SM, Midkiff BR, Xia Y, Sherman ME, Nikolaishvili-Feinberg N, Serody JS, Hoadley KA, Troester MA, Calhoun BC. Protein-based immune profiles of basal-like vs. luminal breast cancers. J Transl Med 2021; 101:785-793. [PMID: 33623115 PMCID: PMC8140991 DOI: 10.1038/s41374-020-00506-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes play an important, but incompletely understood role in chemotherapy response and prognosis. In breast cancer, there appear to be distinct immune responses by subtype, but most studies have used limited numbers of protein markers or bulk sequencing of RNA to characterize immune response, in which spatial organization cannot be assessed. To identify immune phenotypes of Basal-like vs. Luminal breast cancer we used the GeoMx® (NanoString) platform to perform digital spatial profiling of immune-related proteins in tumor whole sections and tissue microarrays (TMA). Visualization of CD45, CD68, or pan-Cytokeratin by immunofluorescence was used to select regions of interest in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue sections. Forty-four antibodies representing stromal markers and multiple immune cell types were applied to quantify the tumor microenvironment. In whole tumor slides, immune hot spots (CD45+) had increased expression of many immune markers, suggesting a diverse and robust immune response. In epithelium-enriched areas, immune signals were also detectable and varied by subtype, with regulatory T-cell (Treg) markers (CD4, CD25, and FOXP3) being higher in Basal-like vs. Luminal breast cancer. Extending these findings to TMAs with more patients (n = 75), we confirmed subtype-specific immune profiles, including enrichment of Treg markers in Basal-likes. This work demonstrated that immune responses can be detected in epithelium-rich tissue, and that TMAs are a viable approach for obtaining important immunoprofiling data. In addition, we found that immune marker expression is associated with breast cancer subtype, suggesting possible prognostic, or targetable differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Walens
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Linnea T Olsson
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Xiaohua Gao
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Alina M Hamilton
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Erin L Kirk
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Stephanie M Cohen
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Translational Pathology Laboratory, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Bentley R Midkiff
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Translational Pathology Laboratory, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Yongjuan Xia
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Translational Pathology Laboratory, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Mark E Sherman
- Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Nana Nikolaishvili-Feinberg
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Translational Pathology Laboratory, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Jonathan S Serody
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Katherine A Hoadley
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Melissa A Troester
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
| | - Benjamin C Calhoun
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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15
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Kumar S, Zeng Z, Bagati A, Tay RE, Sanz LA, Hartono SR, Ito Y, Abderazzaq F, Hatchi E, Jiang P, Cartwright ANR, Olawoyin O, Mathewson ND, Pyrdol JW, Li MZ, Doench JG, Booker MA, Tolstorukov MY, Elledge SJ, Chédin F, Liu XS, Wucherpfennig KW. CARM1 Inhibition Enables Immunotherapy of Resistant Tumors by Dual Action on Tumor Cells and T Cells. Cancer Discov 2021; 11:2050-2071. [PMID: 33707234 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-20-1144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
A number of cancer drugs activate innate immune pathways in tumor cells but unfortunately also compromise antitumor immune function. We discovered that inhibition of CARM1, an epigenetic enzyme and cotranscriptional activator, elicited beneficial antitumor activity in both cytotoxic T cells and tumor cells. In T cells, Carm1 inactivation substantially enhanced their antitumor function and preserved memory-like populations required for sustained antitumor immunity. In tumor cells, Carm1 inactivation induced a potent type 1 interferon response that sensitized resistant tumors to cytotoxic T cells. Substantially increased numbers of dendritic cells, CD8 T cells, and natural killer cells were present in Carm1-deficient tumors, and infiltrating CD8 T cells expressed low levels of exhaustion markers. Targeting of CARM1 with a small molecule elicited potent antitumor immunity and sensitized resistant tumors to checkpoint blockade. Targeting of this cotranscriptional regulator thus offers an opportunity to enhance immune function while simultaneously sensitizing resistant tumor cells to immune attack. SIGNIFICANCE: Resistance to cancer immunotherapy remains a major challenge. Targeting of CARM1 enables immunotherapy of resistant tumors by enhancing T-cell functionality and preserving memory-like T-cell populations within tumors. CARM1 inhibition also sensitizes resistant tumor cells to immune attack by inducing a tumor cell-intrinsic type 1 interferon response.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1861.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushil Kumar
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Zexian Zeng
- Department of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Archis Bagati
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rong En Tay
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lionel A Sanz
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Stella R Hartono
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Yoshinaga Ito
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Fieda Abderazzaq
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Elodie Hatchi
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Peng Jiang
- Department of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Adam N R Cartwright
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Olamide Olawoyin
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Nathan D Mathewson
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jason W Pyrdol
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Mamie Z Li
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School and Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - John G Doench
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Matthew A Booker
- Department of Informatics and Analytics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Michael Y Tolstorukov
- Department of Informatics and Analytics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Stephen J Elledge
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School and Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Frédéric Chédin
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California
| | - X Shirley Liu
- Department of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
| | - Kai W Wucherpfennig
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts. .,Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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16
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Thomas R, Al-Khadairi G, Decock J. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Treatment: Promising Future Prospects. Front Oncol 2021; 10:600573. [PMID: 33718107 PMCID: PMC7947906 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.600573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has emerged as the fifth pillar of cancer treatment alongside surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are the current superheroes of immunotherapy, unleashing a patient's own immune cells to kill tumors and revolutionizing cancer treatment in a variety of cancers. Although breast cancer was historically believed to be immunologically silent, treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors has been shown to induce modest responses in metastatic breast cancer. Given the inherent heterogeneity of breast tumors, this raised the question whether certain breast tumors might benefit more from immune-based interventions and which cancer cell-intrinsic and/or microenvironmental factors define the likelihood of inducing a potent and durable anti-tumor immune response. In this review, we will focus on triple negative breast cancer as immunogenic breast cancer subtype, and specifically discuss the relevance of tumor mutational burden, the plethora and diversity of tumor infiltrating immune cells in addition to the immunoscore, the presence of immune checkpoint expression, and the microbiome in defining immune checkpoint blockade response. We will highlight the current immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment options, either as monotherapy or in combination with standard-of-care treatment modalities such as chemotherapy and targeted therapy. In addition, we will look into the potential of immunotherapy-based combination strategies using immune checkpoint inhibitors to enhance both innate and adaptive immune responses, or to establish a more immune favorable environment for cancer vaccines. Finally, the review will address the need for unambiguous predictive biomarkers as one of the main challenges of immune checkpoint blockade. To conclude, the potential of immune checkpoint blockade for triple negative breast cancer treatment could be enhanced by exploration of aforementioned factors and treatment strategies thereby providing promising future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remy Thomas
- Cancer Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Ghaneya Al-Khadairi
- Cancer Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Julie Decock
- Cancer Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
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17
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Wang Z, Yang X, Shen J, Xu J, Pan M, Liu J, Han S. Gene expression patterns associated with tumor-infiltrating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in invasive breast carcinomas. Hum Immunol 2021; 82:279-287. [PMID: 33612391 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2021.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast carcinoma is one of the most common tumors in women. The immune microenvironment, especially T cell infiltration, is related to the occurrence and prognosis of breast carcinoma. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the gene expression patterns associated with tumor-infiltrating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in invasive breast carcinomas. METHODS The gene expression data and corresponding clinical phenotype data from the Cancer Genome Atlas Breast Invasive Carcinoma (TCGA-BRCA) were downloaded. The stromal and immune score were calculated using ESTIMATE. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with a high vs. low stromal score and a high vs. low immune score were screened and then functionally enriched. The tumor-infiltrating immune cells were investigated using the Cibersort algorithm, and the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell-related genes were identified using a Spearman correlation test of infiltrating abundance with the DEGs. Moreover, the miRNA-mRNA pairs and lncRNA-miRNA pairs were predicted to construct the competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) network. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curves were also plotted. RESULTS In total, 478 DEGs with a high vs. low stromal score and 796 DEGs with a high vs. low immune score were identified. In addition, 39 CD4+ T cell-related genes and 78 CD8+ T cell-related genes were identified; of these, 14 genes were significantly associated with the prognosis of BRCA patients. Moreover, for CD4+ T cell-related genes, the chr22-38_28785274-29006793.1-miR-34a/c-5p-CAPN6 axis was identified from the ceRNA network, whereas the chr22-38_28785274-29006793.1-miR-494-3p-SLC9A7 axis was identified for CD8+ T cell-related genes. CONCLUSIONS The chr22-38_28785274-29006793.1-miR-34a/c-5p-CAPN6 axis and the chr22-38_28785274-29006793.1-miR-494-3p-SLC9A7 axis might regulate cellular activities associated with CD4+ and CD8+ T cell infiltration, respectively, in BRCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanwei Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Huzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated Central Hospital HuZhou University, No. 1558, Sanhuan North Road, Wuxing District, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province 313000, China.
| | - Xi Yang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Huzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated Central Hospital HuZhou University, No. 1558, Sanhuan North Road, Wuxing District, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province 313000, China.
| | - Junjun Shen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Huzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated Central Hospital HuZhou University, No. 1558, Sanhuan North Road, Wuxing District, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province 313000, China.
| | - Jiamin Xu
- Graduate School of Nursing, Huzhou University, No. 1 Bachelor Road, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province 313000, China.
| | - Mingyue Pan
- Graduate School of Nursing, Huzhou University, NO.1 Bachelor Road, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, 313000, China.
| | - Jin Liu
- Department of Pathology, Huzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated Central Hospital HuZhou University, No. 1558, Sanhuan North Road, Wuxing District, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province 313000, China.
| | - Shuwen Han
- Department of Medical Oncology, Huzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated Central Hospital HuZhou University, No. 1558, Sanhuan North Road, Wuxing District, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province 313000, China.
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18
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Krijgsman D, van Leeuwen MB, van der Ven J, Almeida V, Vlutters R, Halter D, Kuppen PJK, van de Velde CJH, Wimberger-Friedl R. Quantitative Whole Slide Assessment of Tumor-Infiltrating CD8-Positive Lymphocytes in ER-Positive Breast Cancer in Relation to Clinical Outcome. IEEE J Biomed Health Inform 2021; 25:381-392. [DOI: 10.1109/jbhi.2020.3003475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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19
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Wu HJ, Chu PY. Recent Discoveries of Macromolecule- and Cell-Based Biomarkers and Therapeutic Implications in Breast Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22020636. [PMID: 33435254 PMCID: PMC7827149 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer type and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women worldwide. Breast cancer is fairly heterogeneous and reveals six molecular subtypes: luminal A, luminal B, HER2+, basal-like subtype (ER−, PR−, and HER2−), normal breast-like, and claudin-low. Breast cancer screening and early diagnosis play critical roles in improving therapeutic outcomes and prognosis. Mammography is currently the main commercially available detection method for breast cancer; however, it has numerous limitations. Therefore, reliable noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are required. Biomarkers used in cancer range from macromolecules, such as DNA, RNA, and proteins, to whole cells. Biomarkers for cancer risk, diagnosis, proliferation, metastasis, drug resistance, and prognosis have been identified in breast cancer. In addition, there is currently a greater demand for personalized or precise treatments; moreover, the identification of novel biomarkers to further the development of new drugs is urgently needed. In this review, we summarize and focus on the recent discoveries of promising macromolecules and cell-based biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of breast cancer and provide implications for therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsing-Ju Wu
- Department of Biology, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua 500, Taiwan;
- Research Assistant Center, Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Changhua 500, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Lukang Town, Changhua County 505, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Yi Chu
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 231, Taiwan
- Department of Pathology, Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, No. 542, Sec. 1 Chung-Shan Rd., Changhua 500, Taiwan
- Department of Health Food, Chung Chou University of Science and Technology, Changhua 510, Taiwan
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan 704, Taiwan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +886-975-611-855; Fax: +886-4-7227-116
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20
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Qattan A. Novel miRNA Targets and Therapies in the Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Microenvironment: An Emerging Hope for a Challenging Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21238905. [PMID: 33255471 PMCID: PMC7727826 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21238905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains challenging because of the heterogeneity of the disease and lack of single targetable driving mutations. TNBC does not rely on estrogen, progesterone or epidermal growth factor receptors and is associated with aggressive disease progression and poor prognosis. TNBC is also characterized by resistance to chemotherapeutics, and response to immunotherapies is limited despite promising results in a subset of TNBC patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as significant drivers of tumorigenesis and tumor progression in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and present unique opportunities to target various components of the TNBC microenvironment for improved efficacy against this difficult to treat cancer. Effects of miRNAs on multiple targets may improve response rates in the context of this genetically and biologically heterogeneous disease. In this review, we offer a comprehensive view of miRNA regulation in TNBC, treatment challenges presented by TNBC in the context of the tumor microenvironment and stem cell subpopulations, and current and emerging miRNA-based therapeutic strategies targeting various components of the TNBC microenvironment. In addition, we offer insight into novel targets that have potential for treating TNBC through multiple mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment simultaneously and those that may be synergistic with standard chemotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amal Qattan
- Breast Cancer Research Unit, Department of Molecular Oncology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia; or
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), George Washington University, Washington, DC 20073, USA
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21
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Hachim MY, Hachim IY, Talaat IM, Yakout NM, Hamoudi R. M1 Polarization Markers Are Upregulated in Basal-Like Breast Cancer Molecular Subtype and Associated With Favorable Patient Outcome. Front Immunol 2020; 11:560074. [PMID: 33304345 PMCID: PMC7701279 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.560074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Breast cancer heterogeneity is an essential element that plays a role in the therapy response variability and the patient's outcome. This highlights the need for more precise subtyping methods that focus not only on tumor cells but also investigate the profile of stromal cells as well as immune cells. Objectives To mine publicly available transcriptomic breast cancer datasets and reanalyze their transcriptomic profiling using unsupervised clustering in order to identify novel subsets in molecular subtypes of breast cancer, then explore the stromal and immune cells profile in each subset using bioinformatics and systems immunology approaches. Materials and Methods Transcriptomic data from 1,084 breast cancer patients obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were extracted and subjected to unsupervised clustering using a recently described, multi-step algorithm called Iterative Clustering and Guide-gene Selection (ICGS). For each cluster, the stromal and immune profile was investigated using ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT analytical tool. Clinical outcomes and differentially expressed genes of the characterized clusters were identified and validated in silico and in vitro in a cohort of 80 breast cancer samples by immunohistochemistry. Results Seven unique sub-clusters showed distinct molecular and clinical profiles between the well-known breast cancer subtypes. Those unsupervised clusters identified more homogenous subgroups in each of the classical subtypes with a different prognostic profile. Immune profiling of the identified clusters showed that while the classically activated macrophages (M1) are correlated with the more aggressive basal-like breast cancer subtype, the alternatively activated macrophages (M2) showed a higher level of infiltration in luminal A and luminal B subtypes. Indeed, patients with higher levels of M1 expression showed less advanced disease and better patient outcomes presented as prolonged overall survival. Moreover, the M1 high basal-like breast cancer group showed a higher expression of interferon-gamma induced chemokines and guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs) involved in immunity against microbes. Conclusion Adding immune profiling using transcriptomic data can add precision for diagnosis and prognosis and can cluster patients according to the available modalities of therapy in a more personalized approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmood Yaseen Hachim
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ibrahim Yaseen Hachim
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Clinical Sciences Department, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Iman M. Talaat
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Clinical Sciences Department, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Nada M. Yakout
- Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Rifat Hamoudi
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Clinical Sciences Department, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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22
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Bhari VK, Kumar D, Kumar S, Mishra R. SARS-CoV-2 cell receptor gene ACE2 -mediated immunomodulation in breast cancer subtypes. Biochem Biophys Rep 2020; 24:100844. [PMID: 33178900 PMCID: PMC7643628 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2020.100844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has impacted the world severely. The binding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and its intake by the host cell is a necessary step for infection. ACE2 has garnered widespread therapeutic possibility as it is entry/interactive point for SARS-CoV-2, responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and providing a critical regulator for immune modulation in various disease. Patients with suffering from cancer always being on the verge of being immune compromised therefore gaining knowledge about how SARS-CoV-2 viruses affecting immune cells in human cancers will provides us new opportunities for preventing or treating virus-associated cancers. Despite COVID-19 pandemic got center stage at present time, however very little research being explores, which increase our knowledge in context with how SARS-CoV-2 infection affect cancer a cellular level. Therefore, in light of the ACE-2 as an important contributor of COVID-19 global, we analyzed correlation between ACE2 and tumor immune infiltration (TIL) level and the type markers of immune cells were investigated in breast cancer subtypes by using TIMER database. Our findings shed light on the immunomodulatory role of ACE2 in the luminal A subtype which may play crucial role in imparting therapeutic resistance in this cancer subtype. The recent outbreak of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has impacted the world severely. The binding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and its intake of this complex by the host cell is a necessary step for infection. We reported that the differential gene expression of ACE2 defines its pathological role in each molecular subtype of breast cancer differently. Our analysis suggested that the expression of ACE2 gene may relate to immune function in luminal A subtype of breast cancer. This study is much significant in context with current pandemic in which ACE2 inhibitors are widely used for the COVD-19 treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Kumar Bhari
- Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Durgesh Kumar
- Department of Physiology, Government Medical College, Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Surendra Kumar
- Department of Neurology, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
| | - Rajeev Mishra
- Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
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23
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The Tumor Microenvironment of Primitive and Metastatic Breast Cancer: Implications for Novel Therapeutic Strategies. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21218102. [PMID: 33143050 PMCID: PMC7662409 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21218102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer evolves thanks to a dense and close interaction with the surrounding tumor microenvironment (TME). Fibroblasts, leukocytes, blood and lymphatic endothelial cells and extracellular matrix are the constituents of this entity, and they synergistically play a pivotal role in all of the stages of breast cancer development, from its onset to its metastatic spread. Moreover, it has been widely demonstrated that variations to the TME can correspond to prognosis variations. Breast cancer not only modulates the transformation of the environment within the mammary gland, but the same process is observed in metastases as well. In this minireview, we describe the features of TME within the primitive breast cancer, throughout its evolution and spread into the main metastatic sites.
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24
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López C, Bosch-Príncep R, Orero G, Fontoura Balagueró L, Korzynska A, García-Rojo M, Bueno G, Fernández-Carrobles MDM, Roszkowiak L, Callau Casanova C, Salvadó-Usach MT, Jaén Martínez J, Gibert-Ramos A, Roso-Llorach A, Gras Navarro A, Berenguer-Poblet M, Llobera M, Gil Garcia J, Tomás B, Gestí V, Laine E, Plancoulaine B, Baucells J, Lejeune M. Peritumoral immune infiltrates in primary tumours are not associated with the presence of axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer: a retrospective cohort study. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9779. [PMID: 32953267 PMCID: PMC7474517 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) in breast cancer patients are the body regions to where tumoral cells most often first disseminate. The tumour immune response is important for breast cancer patient outcome, and some studies have evaluated its involvement in ALN metastasis development. Most studies have focused on the intratumoral immune response, but very few have evaluated the peritumoral immune response. The aim of the present article is to evaluate the immune infiltrates of the peritumoral area and their association with the presence of ALN metastases. Methods The concentration of 11 immune markers in the peritumoral areas was studied in 149 patients diagnosed with invasive breast carcinoma of no special type (half of whom had ALN metastasis at diagnosis) using tissue microarrays, immunohistochemistry and digital image analysis procedures. The differences in the concentration of the immune response of peritumoral areas between patients diagnosed with and without metastasis in their ALNs were evaluated. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed to identify the clinical-pathological variables and the peritumoral immune markers independently associated with having or not having ALN metastases at diagnosis. Results No statistically significant differences were found in the concentrations of the 11 immune markers between patients diagnosed with or without ALN metastases. Patients with metastases in their ALNs had a higher histological grade, more lymphovascular and perineural invasion and larger-diameter tumours. The multivariate analysis, after validation by bootstrap simulation, revealed that only tumour diameter (OR = 1.04; 95% CI [1.00–1.07]; p = 0.026), lymphovascular invasion (OR = 25.42; 95% CI [9.57–67.55]; p < 0.001) and histological grades 2 (OR = 3.84; 95% CI [1.11–13.28]; p = 0.033) and 3 (OR = 5.18; 95% CI [1.40–19.17]; p = 0.014) were associated with the presence of ALN metastases at diagnosis. This study is one of the first to study the association of the peritumoral immune response with ALN metastasis. We did not find any association of peritumoral immune infiltrates with the presence of ALN metastasis. Nevertheless, this does not rule out the possibility that other peritumoral immune populations are associated with ALN metastasis. This matter needs to be examined in greater depth, broadening the types of peritumoral immune cells studied, and including new peritumoral areas, such as the germinal centres of the peritumoral tertiary lymphoid structures found in extensively infiltrated neoplastic lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos López
- Department of Pathology, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain.,Campus Terres de l'Ebre, Universitat Rovira Virgili Tarragona, Tortosa, Spain
| | - Ramón Bosch-Príncep
- Department of Pathology, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain
| | - Guifré Orero
- Department of Pathology, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain
| | | | - Anna Korzynska
- Laboratory of Processing and Analysis of Microscopic Images, Nałęcz Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marcial García-Rojo
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Gloria Bueno
- VISILAB, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | | | - Lukasz Roszkowiak
- Laboratory of Processing and Analysis of Microscopic Images, Nałęcz Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - M Teresa Salvadó-Usach
- Department of Pathology, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain.,Campus Terres de l'Ebre, Universitat Rovira Virgili Tarragona, Tortosa, Spain
| | | | - Albert Gibert-Ramos
- Department of Pathology, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain
| | - Albert Roso-Llorach
- Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andrea Gras Navarro
- Department of Pathology, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain
| | - Marta Berenguer-Poblet
- Campus Terres de l'Ebre, Universitat Rovira Virgili Tarragona, Tortosa, Spain.,Department of Knowledge Management, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain
| | - Montse Llobera
- Department of Oncology, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain
| | - Júlia Gil Garcia
- Department of Surgery, Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain
| | - Bárbara Tomás
- Department of Pathology, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain
| | - Vanessa Gestí
- Department of Pathology, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain
| | - Eeva Laine
- Department of Knowledge Management, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain
| | | | - Jordi Baucells
- Department of Informatics, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain
| | - Maryléne Lejeune
- Department of Pathology, Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, Tortosa, Spain.,Campus Terres de l'Ebre, Universitat Rovira Virgili Tarragona, Tortosa, Spain
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25
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Gomez-Macias GS, Molinar-Flores G, Lopez-Garcia CA, Santuario-Facio S, Decanini-Arcaute H, Valero-Elizondo J, Treviño-Alvarado V, Ortiz-Lopez R, Dono A, Esteban-Zubero E, Alatorre-Jimenez MA, Garza CV, Peña-Curiel O, Cardona-Huerta S. Immunotyping of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in triple-negative breast cancer and genetic characterization. Oncol Lett 2020; 20:140. [PMID: 32934708 PMCID: PMC7471657 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.12000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) reflect the host immune response against cancer cells. Immunomodulators have been recently suggested as a novel therapeutic strategy against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the TIL profile in TNBC has not been thoroughly investigated. In the present study, the percentage, immunophenotype and genetic profiles of TILs in pre-surgical tumor samples of patients with TNBC were evaluated prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Patients diagnosed with breast cancer at Hospital San José TecSalud were consecutively and prospectively enrolled in the present study between August 2011 and August 2015. The pathological response to NAC was evaluated using the de Miller-Payne and MD Anderson Cancer Center system. TIL percentage (low, intermediate, and high) was evaluated using special hematoxylin-eosin staining on the core needle biopsies. The immunophenotype of TILs was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+. In addition, the gene expression profile of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD20, CD45, forkhead box P3, interleukin 6, programmed cell death 1 and CD274 molecule was assessed in all patients. A total of 26 samples from patients with TNBC prior to NAC were included in the present study. TILs were low in 30.7%, intermediate in 38.4% and elevated in 30.7% of tumors. CD3+ and CD4+ counts were associated with the pathological response to NAC (P=0.04). Finally, an overexpression pattern of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD45 and CD20 genes was observed in patients with a partial or complete pathological response. The present results demonstrated that TILs may predict the pathological response to NAC in patients with TNBC. Furthermore, a more accurate association was identified between the high expression levels of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD45 and CD20 genes and partial and complete pathological response, compared with the association between high expression and IHC alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Sofia Gomez-Macias
- Department of Pathology, Hospital San José TecSalud, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64710, México.,Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitario, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64460, México
| | - Guillermo Molinar-Flores
- Department of Pathology, Hospital San José TecSalud, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64710, México
| | - Carlos A Lopez-Garcia
- Department of Pathology, Hospital San José TecSalud, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64710, México
| | - Sandra Santuario-Facio
- Laboratorio de Investigacion, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64710, México
| | - Horacio Decanini-Arcaute
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Christus Muguerza of Alta Especialidad, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64060, México
| | - Javier Valero-Elizondo
- Breast Cancer Center, Hospital San José, TecSalud, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64710, México
| | | | - Rocio Ortiz-Lopez
- Laboratorio de Investigacion, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64710, México
| | - Antonio Dono
- Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | | | - Cynthia Villarreal Garza
- Breast Cancer Center, Hospital San José, TecSalud, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64710, México
| | - Omar Peña-Curiel
- Breast Cancer Center, Hospital San José, TecSalud, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64710, México
| | - Servando Cardona-Huerta
- Breast Cancer Center, Hospital San José, TecSalud, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64710, México
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26
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Marijan S, Markotić A, Mastelić A, Režić-Mužinić N, Pilkington LI, Reynisson J, Čulić VČ. Glycosphingolipid expression at breast cancer stem cells after novel thieno[2,3-b]pyridine anticancer compound treatment. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11876. [PMID: 32680999 PMCID: PMC7368022 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68516-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Glycosphingolipid expression differs between human breast cancer stem cells (CSC) and cancer non-stem cells (non-CSC). We performed studies of viability, type of cell death, cancer stem cell percent and glycosphingolipid expression on CSC and non-CSC after treatment of MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-453 triple-negative breast cancer cells with a newly developed thienopyridine anticancer compound (3-amino-N-(3-chloro-2-methylphenyl)-5-oxo-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrothieno[2,3-b]quinoline-2-carboxamide, 1). Compound 1 was cytotoxic for both breast cancer cell lines and the majority of cells died by treatment-induced apoptosis. The percent of cancer stem cells and number of formed mammospheres was significantly lower. Glycosphingolipids IV6Neu5Ac-nLc4Cer and GalNAc-GM1b (IV3Neu5Ac-Gg5Cer) not reported previously, were identified in both CSCs and non-CSCs. IV6Neu5Ac-nLc4Cer had increased expression in both CSCs and non-CSCs of both cell lines after the treatment with 1, while GM3 (II3Neu5Ac-LacCer) had increased expression only on both cell subpopulations in MDA-MB-231 cell line. GalNAc-GM1b, Gb4Cer (GalNAcβ1-3Galα1-4Galβ1-4Glcβ1-1Cer) and GM2 (II3Neu5Ac-GalNAcβ1-4Galβ1-4Glcβ1-1Cer) were increased only in CSCs of both cell lines while GD3 was decreased in CSC of MDA-MB-231 cell line. Due to its effect in reducing the percentage of cancer stem cells and number of mammospheres, and its influence upon several glycosphingolipid expressions, it can be concluded that compound 1 deserves attention as a potential new drug for triple-negative breast cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Marijan
- Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - Anita Markotić
- Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - Angela Mastelić
- Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - Nikolina Režić-Mužinić
- Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - Lisa Ivy Pilkington
- School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Johannes Reynisson
- School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Vedrana Čikeš Čulić
- Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000, Split, Croatia.
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Ball MS, Bhandari R, Torres GM, Martyanov V, ElTanbouly MA, Archambault K, Whitfield ML, Liby KT, Pioli PA. CDDO-Me Alters the Tumor Microenvironment in Estrogen Receptor Negative Breast Cancer. Sci Rep 2020; 10:6560. [PMID: 32300202 PMCID: PMC7162855 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63482-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is an essential contributor to the development and progression of malignancy. Within the TME, tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) mediate angiogenesis, metastasis, and immunosuppression, which inhibits infiltration of tumor-specific cytotoxic CD8+ T cells. In previous work, we demonstrated that the synthetic triterpenoid CDDO-methyl ester (CDDO-Me) converts breast TAMs from a tumor-promoting to a tumor-inhibiting activation state in vitro. We show now that CDDO-Me remodels the breast TME, redirecting TAM activation and T cell tumor infiltration in vivo. We demonstrate that CDDO-Me significantly attenuates IL-10 and VEGF expression but stimulates TNF production, and reduces surface expression of CD206 and CD115, markers of immunosuppressive TAMs. CDDO-Me treatment redirects the TAM transcriptional profile, inducing signaling pathways associated with immune stimulation, and inhibits TAM tumor infiltration, consistent with decreased expression of CCL2. In CDDO-Me-treated mice, both the absolute number and proportion of splenic CD4+ T cells were reduced, while the proportion of CD8+ T cells was significantly increased in both tumors and spleen. Moreover, mice fed CDDO-Me demonstrated significant reductions in numbers of CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells within tumors. These results demonstrate for the first time that CDDO-Me relieves immunosuppression in the breast TME and unleashes host adaptive anti-tumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Ball
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Rajan Bhandari
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Gretel M Torres
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Viktor Martyanov
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Mohamed A ElTanbouly
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Kim Archambault
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Michael L Whitfield
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Karen T Liby
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Patricia A Pioli
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America.
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Asaoka M, Patnaik SK, Zhang F, Ishikawa T, Takabe K. Lymphovascular invasion in breast cancer is associated with gene expression signatures of cell proliferation but not lymphangiogenesis or immune response. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2020; 181:309-322. [PMID: 32285241 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-020-05630-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While the prognostic relevance of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) in breast cancer is well known, its molecular biology is poorly understood. We hypothesized that pathologically determined LVI reflects molecular features of tumors and can be discerned from their genomic and transcriptomic profiles. METHODS LVI status and Nottingham histological scores of primary breast tumors of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project were assessed from pathology reports; other clinical and molecular data were obtained from TCGA data portals and publications. Two independent datasets (GSE5460 and GSE7849) were combined and used for validation. RESULTS LVI status was determinable for 639 and 196 cases of the TCGA and validation cohorts, among whom LVI incidence was 37.8% and 37.2%, respectively. LVI was associated with high tumor Ki67 expression, advanced pathologic stage, and high Nottingham scores. LVI-positive cases had worse overall and progression-free survival regardless of cancer subtype. Surprisingly, in both cohorts, LVI was not associated with lymphangiogenesis or lymphatic vessel density as estimated from tumor expression of lymphatic endothelium-associated genes. LVI-positive tumors had higher genome copy number aberrations, aneuploidy, and homologous recombination defects, but not single-nucleotide variations or intra-tumor genome heterogeneity. Tumor immune cell composition and cytolytic activity was not associated with LVI status. On the other hand, expression of cell proliferation-related genes was significantly increased in LVI-positive tumors. CONCLUSION Our study suggests that breast cancer with LVI is a highly proliferative cancer, and it does not correlate with gene expression markers for lymphangiogenesis or immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariko Asaoka
- Department of Breast Surgery, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA.,Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Santosh K Patnaik
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Frank Zhang
- Giesel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Takashi Ishikawa
- Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuaki Takabe
- Department of Breast Surgery, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA. .,Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. .,Department of Surgery, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA. .,Department of Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan. .,Department of Surgery, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan.
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Mastracci L, Fontana V, Queirolo P, Carosio R, Grillo F, Morabito A, Banelli B, Tanda E, Boutros A, Dozin B, Gualco M, Salvi S, Romani M, Spagnolo F, Poggi A, Pistillo MP. Response to ipilimumab therapy in metastatic melanoma patients: potential relevance of CTLA-4 + tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and their in situ localization. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2020; 69:653-662. [PMID: 32025849 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-020-02494-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors, including ipilimumab (IPI), achieve a clinical benefit in a small proportion of melanoma patients highlighting the need to investigate predictive biomarkers. In this study, we characterized tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), focusing on the CTLA-4+ subset, and evaluated their possible predictive significance. We characterized TIL density, cell type, and localization in 40 melanoma lesions from 17 patients treated with IPI. Associations of TILs with IPI timing, tissue localization, and response to IPI were estimated using a linear mixed-effects modelling approach. We found that most of TIL subsets increased in situ upon IPI therapy, with particular reference to FoxP3+ cells. TILs and TIL subsets, such as CD3+, CD45RO+, CTLA-4+, CD4+, CD8+ T cells, CD20+ B cells, and NKp46+ NK cells, showed significantly different spatial distributions in the tumor microenvironment being higher at the invasive margin (IM) as compared to the tumor center (TC) (P value < 0.001 for TIL score and P value < 0.05 for all subsets). Remarkably, high TIL score and density of CD3+, CD8+ T cells, and CTLA-4+ immune cells were significantly associated with a better response to IPI (P values = 0.002, 0.023, 0.007, and 0.001, respectively, for responders vs non-responders). In conclusion, we provide a detailed analysis of CTLA-4+ TIL distribution in melanoma tissues taking into account localization, relationship with CD3+/CD8+ TILs, and changes in response to IPI treatment. We identified that CTLA-4+ TILs may represent a marker of IPI response, alone or with CD3+/CD8+ subsets, although this requires confirmation in larger studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Mastracci
- Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
- Anatomic Pathology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Fontana
- Clinical Epidemiology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Paola Queirolo
- Division of Medical Oncology for Melanoma, Sarcoma, and Rare Tumors, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberta Carosio
- Tumor Epigenetics Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Largo Rosanna Benzi, 10, 16132, Genoa, Italy
| | - Federica Grillo
- Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
- Anatomic Pathology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Anna Morabito
- Tumor Epigenetics Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Largo Rosanna Benzi, 10, 16132, Genoa, Italy
| | - Barbara Banelli
- Tumor Epigenetics Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Largo Rosanna Benzi, 10, 16132, Genoa, Italy
| | - Enrica Tanda
- Skin Cancer Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Andrea Boutros
- Skin Cancer Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Beatrice Dozin
- Clinical Epidemiology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Marina Gualco
- Anatomic Pathology Unit, Ospedale Villa Scassi, ASL3, Genoa, Italy
| | - Sandra Salvi
- Anatomic Pathology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Massimo Romani
- Tumor Epigenetics Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Largo Rosanna Benzi, 10, 16132, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Poggi
- Molecular Oncology and Angiogenesis Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Maria Pia Pistillo
- Tumor Epigenetics Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Largo Rosanna Benzi, 10, 16132, Genoa, Italy.
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Stathmin expression associates with vascular and immune responses in aggressive breast cancer subgroups. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2914. [PMID: 32076022 PMCID: PMC7031232 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59728-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies indicate that stathmin expression associates with PI3K activation in breast cancer, suggesting stathmin as a marker for targetable patient subgroups. Here we assessed stathmin in relation to tumour proliferation, vascular and immune responses, BRCA1 germline status, basal-like differentiation, clinico-pathologic features, and survival. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on breast cancers from two series (cohort 1, n = 187; cohort 2, n = 198), and mass spectrometry data from 24 cases and 12 breast cancer cell lines was examined for proteomic profiles. Open databases were also explored (TCGA, METABRIC, Oslo2 Landscape cohort, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia). High stathmin expression associated with tumour proliferation, p53 status, basal-like differentiation, BRCA1 genotype, and high-grade histology. These patterns were confirmed using mRNA data. Stathmin mRNA further associated with tumour angiogenesis, immune responses and reduced survival. By logistic regression, stathmin protein independently predicted a BRCA1 genotype (OR 10.0, p = 0.015) among ER negative tumours. Cell line analysis (Connectivity Map) implied PI3K inhibition in tumours with high stathmin. Altogether, our findings indicate that stathmin might be involved in the regulation of tumour angiogenesis and immune responses in breast cancer, in addition to tumour proliferation. Cell data point to potential effects of PI3K inhibition in tumours with high stathmin expression.
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Baxevanis CN, Fortis SP, Perez SA. The balance between breast cancer and the immune system: Challenges for prognosis and clinical benefit from immunotherapies. Semin Cancer Biol 2019; 72:76-89. [PMID: 31881337 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cancer evolution is a complex process influenced by genetic factors and extracellular stimuli that trigger signaling pathways to coordinate the continuous and dynamic interaction between tumor cells and the elements of the immune system. For over 20 years now, the immune mechanisms controlling cancer progression have been the focus of intensive research. It is well established that the immune system conveys protective antitumor immunity by destroying immunogenic tumor variants, but also facilitates tumor progression by shaping tumor immunogenicity in a process called "immunoediting". It is also clear that immune-guided tumor editing is associated with tumor evasion from immune surveillance and therefore reinforcing the endogenous antitumor immunity is a desired goal in the context of cancer therapies. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex network which consists of various cell types and factors having important roles regarding tumor development and progression. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and other tumor infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) are key to our understanding of tumor immune surveillance based on tumor immunogenicity, whereby the densities and location of TILs and TIICs in the tumor regions, as well as their functional programs (comprising the "immunoscore") have a prominent role for prognosis and prediction for several cancers. The presence of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in the TME or in peritumoral areas has an influence on the locally produced antitumor immune response, and therefore also has a significant prognostic impact. The cross-talk between elements of the immune system with tumor cells in the TME is greatly influenced by hypoxia, the gut and/or the local microbiota, and several metabolic elements, which, in a dynamic interplay, have a crucial role for tumor cell heterogeneity and reprogramming of immune cells along their activation and differentiation pathways. Taking into consideration the recent clinical success with the application immunotherapies for the treatment of several cancer types, increasing endeavors have been made to gain better insights into the mechanisms underlying phenotypic and metabolic profiles in the context of tumor progression and immunotherapy. In this review we will address (i) the role of TILs, TIICs and TLS in breast cancer (BCa); (ii) the different metabolic-based pathways used by immune and breast cancer cells; and (iii) implications for immunotherapy-based strategies in BCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constantin N Baxevanis
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, 171 Alexandras Ave., 11522, Athens, Greece.
| | - Sotirios P Fortis
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, 171 Alexandras Ave., 11522, Athens, Greece
| | - Sonia A Perez
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, 171 Alexandras Ave., 11522, Athens, Greece
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Egelston CA, Avalos C, Tu TY, Rosario A, Wang R, Solomon S, Srinivasan G, Nelson MS, Huang Y, Lim MH, Simons DL, He TF, Yim JH, Kruper L, Mortimer J, Yost S, Guo W, Ruel C, Frankel PH, Yuan Y, Lee PP. Resident memory CD8+ T cells within cancer islands mediate survival in breast cancer patients. JCI Insight 2019; 4:130000. [PMID: 31465302 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.130000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) correlate with relapse-free survival (RFS) in most cancer types, including breast cancer. However, subset composition, functional status, and spatial location of CD8+ TILs in relation to RFS in human breast tumors remain unclear. Spatial tissue analysis via quantitative immunofluorescence showed that infiltration of CD8+ T cells into cancer islands was more significantly associated with RFS than CD8+ T cell infiltration into either tumor stroma or total tumor. Localization into cancer islands within tumors is mediated by expression of the integrin CD103, which is a marker for tissue-resident memory T cells (TRMs). Analysis of fresh tumor samples revealed that CD8+ TRMs are functionally similar to other CD8+ TILs, suggesting that the basis of their protective effect is their spatial distribution rather than functional differences. Indeed, CD103+ TRMs, as compared with CD103-CD8+ TILs, are enriched within cancer islands, and CD8+ TRM proximity to cancer cells drives the association of CD8+ TIL densities with RFS. Together, these findings reveal the importance of cancer island-localized CD8+ TRMs in surveillance of the breast tumor microenvironment and as a critical determinant of RFS in patients with breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Christopher Ruel
- Department of Biostatistics, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Paul H Frankel
- Department of Biostatistics, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
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Baxevanis CN, Sofopoulos M, Fortis SP, Perez SA. The role of immune infiltrates as prognostic biomarkers in patients with breast cancer. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2019; 68:1671-1680. [PMID: 30905043 PMCID: PMC11028310 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-019-02327-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The presence of immune infiltrates in the tumor microenvironment has been documented in many types of cancer. Moreover, the preexistent or endogenous immunity which consists of interactions between intratumoral lymphocytes and tumor cells is mostly relevant for the successful application of various anticancer therapies, including standard chemotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibition-based immunotherapy and targeted therapies. The immunoscore defines densities of intratumoral immune infiltrates which determine poor or favorable prognosis depending on their quantity and quality in the tumor compartments. Results from large clinical studies have demonstrated an association between high densities of cytotoxic and memory TILs in the tumor compartments with improved prognosis. Importantly, we have demonstrated that differential combined densities of immune infiltrates jointly analyzed in the tumor center (TC) and the invasive margin (IM) have a significant prognostic value in breast cancer patients with poor clinicopathological parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constantin N Baxevanis
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, 171 Alexandras Ave., 115 22, Athens, Greece.
| | | | - Sotirios P Fortis
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, 171 Alexandras Ave., 115 22, Athens, Greece
| | - Sonia A Perez
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, 171 Alexandras Ave., 115 22, Athens, Greece
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Gibert-Ramos A, López C, Bosch R, Fontoura L, Bueno G, García-Rojo M, Berenguer M, Lejeune M. Immune response profile of primary tumour, sentinel and non-sentinel axillary lymph nodes related to metastasis in breast cancer: an immunohistochemical point of view. Histochem Cell Biol 2019; 152:177-193. [DOI: 10.1007/s00418-019-01802-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Li YD, Veliceasa D, Lamano JB, Lamano JB, Kaur G, Biyashev D, Horbinski CM, Kruser TJ, Bloch O. Systemic and local immunosuppression in patients with high-grade meningiomas. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2019; 68:999-1009. [PMID: 31030234 PMCID: PMC6531348 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-019-02342-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
AIM Despite current treatments, high-grade meningiomas continue to have a poor prognosis. Immunotherapy targeting immune checkpoints, such as PD-L1, has demonstrated significant success in controlling numerous malignancies. In this study, we investigate the extent of systemic and local immunosuppression in meningiomas to assess the potential benefit of immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of high-grade meningiomas. METHODS Peripheral blood was collected from patients undergoing resection of meningiomas (WHO grade I, n = 18; grade II, n = 25; grade III, n = 10). Immunosuppressive myeloid cells (CD45+CD11b+PD-L1+), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) (CD11b+CD33+HLA-DRlow), and regulatory T cells (Tregs) (CD3+CD4+CD25+FoxP3+) were quantified through flow cytometry. Tissue sections from the same patients were assessed for PD-L1 expression and T cell infiltration via immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Patients with grade III meningiomas demonstrated increased peripheral monocyte PD-L1 compared to patients with grade I/II meningiomas and healthy controls. Peripheral MDSC abundance was increased in grades II and III meningioma patients. PD-L1 staining of meningioma tissue demonstrated increased positivity in grade III meningiomas. Intratumoral PD-L1 was not associated with progression-free survival. High-grade meningiomas had increased T-cell infiltration. However, a significant proportion of these T cells were exhausted PD1+ T cells and immunosuppressive Tregs. CONCLUSIONS Patients with meningiomas exhibit signs of peripheral immunosuppression, including increased PD-L1 on myeloid cells and elevated MDSC abundance proportional to tumor grade. Additionally, the tumors express substantial PD-L1 proportional to tumor grade. These results suggest a role for immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway in combination with standard therapies for the treatment of high-grade meningiomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuping D Li
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Dorina Veliceasa
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jason B Lamano
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - Jonathan B Lamano
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Gurvinder Kaur
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Dauren Biyashev
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Craig M Horbinski
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Tim J Kruser
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Orin Bloch
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, Davis, 4800 Y Street, Suite 3740, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
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Lafrenie RM, Speigl L, Buckner CA, Pawelec G, Conlon MS, Shipp C. Frequency of Immune Cell Subtypes in Peripheral Blood Correlates With Outcome for Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer Treated With High-Dose Chemotherapy. Clin Breast Cancer 2019; 19:433-442. [PMID: 31383605 DOI: 10.1016/j.clbc.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The frequency of circulating leukocytes has been shown to be a prognostic factor in patients being treated for different types of cancer. In breast cancer, tumor-infiltrating leukocytes may predict patient outcome, but few studies have investigated such associations for circulating leukocytes. PATIENTS AND METHODS Multiparametric flow cytometry was used to examine the immunophenotypes of circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells for 88 patients with metastatic breast cancer, which was then correlated to breast cancer-specific survival. Patients had been treated either with high-dose cyclophosphamide-containing regimens (group 1, n = 51 patients) or high-dose paclitaxel-containing regimens (group 2, n = 37 patients). RESULTS The frequency of peripheral blood CD14+ monocytes indicated prognosis for patients in group 1 (but not group 2), while higher levels of CD11c+ dendritic cells indicated a better prognosis for patients in group 2 (but not group 1). The frequency of a number of different CD4+ or CD8+ T cell subtypes also predicted prognosis for patients in group 2. For example, patients in group 2 with a higher frequency of circulating CD4+ or CD8+ naive T cells (CD45RA+CD95-CD27+CD28+) showed a poorer prognosis. In contrast, T cells were not associated with prognosis for patients in group 1. CONCLUSION Circulating leukocytes can predict clinical outcome for patients with breast cancer. Prediction of clinical outcome in this cohort of metastatic breast cancer patients was specific to the type of chemotherapy, and this finding is likely to apply to other therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Lafrenie
- Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada; Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada; Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Lisa Speigl
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Carly A Buckner
- Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada; Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - Graham Pawelec
- Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada; Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael S Conlon
- Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christopher Shipp
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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The composition of T cell infiltrates varies in primary invasive breast cancer of different molecular subtypes as well as according to tumor size and nodal status. Virchows Arch 2019; 475:13-23. [PMID: 31016433 PMCID: PMC6611750 DOI: 10.1007/s00428-019-02568-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
T lymphocytes are the most numerous immune cells in tumor-associated infiltrates and include several subpopulations of either anticancer or pro-tumorigenic functions. However, the associations between levels of different T cell subsets and breast cancer molecular subtypes as well as other prognostic factors have not been fully established yet. We performed immunohistochemistry for CD8 (cytotoxic T cells (CTL)), FOXP3 (regulatory T cells (Tregs)), and GATA3 (Th2 cells) in 106 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded invasive breast cancer tissue samples and analyzed both the numbers and percentages of investigated cells in tumor-associated infiltrates. We observed that triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and HER2+ non-luminal breast tumors were associated with more numerous CTLs and Tregs and a higher Treg/Th2 cell ratio as compared with luminal A subtype. A higher Treg percentage was related to a decreased hormone receptor expression, an increase in the Ki67 level, a greater tumor size of luminal tumors, and the presence of lymph node metastases. Moreover, differences in the composition of T cell infiltrates were associated with HER2 status and histologic grade and type, and a distinct immune pattern was observed in tumors of different phenotypes regarding pT stage and nodal status. The results of our work show the diversity of T cell infiltrates in primary invasive breast cancers of different phenotypes and suggest that progression of luminal or non-luminal tumors is related to distinct tumor-associated T cell composition.
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Bacolod MD, Barany F, Pilones K, Fisher PB, de Castro RJ. Pathways- and epigenetic-based assessment of relative immune infiltration in various types of solid tumors. Adv Cancer Res 2019; 142:107-143. [PMID: 30885360 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acr.2019.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Recent clinical studies document the power of immunotherapy in treating subsets of patients with advanced cancers. In this context and with multiple cancer immunotherapeutics already evaluated in the clinic and a large number in various stages of clinical trials, it is imperative to comprehensively examine genomics data to better comprehend the role of immunity in different cancers in predicting response to therapy and in directing appropriate therapies. The approach we chose is to scrutinize the pathways and epigenetic factors predicted to drive immune infiltration in different cancer types using publicly available TCGA transcriptional and methylation datasets, along with accompanying clinico-pathological data. We observed that the relative activation of T cells and other immune signaling pathways differs across cancer types. For example, pathways related to activation and proliferation of helper and cytotoxic T cells appear to be more highly enriched in kidney, skin, head and neck, and esophageal cancers compared to those of lung, colorectal, and liver or bile duct cancers. The activation of these immune-related pathways positively associated with prognosis in certain cancer types, most notably melanoma, head and neck, and cervical cancers. Integrated methylation and expression data (along with publicly available, ENCODE-generated histone ChIP Seq and DNAse hypersensitivity data) predict that epigenetic regulation is a primary factor driving transcriptional activation of a number of genes crucial to immunity in cancer, including T cell receptor genes (e.g., CD3D, CD3E), CTLA4, and GZMA. However, the extent to which epigenetic factors (primarily methylation at promoter regions) affect transcription of immune-related genes may vary across cancer types. For example, there is a high negative correlation between promoter CpG methylation and CD3D expression in renal and thyroid cancers, but not in brain tumors. The types of analyses we have undertaken provide insights into the relationships between immune modulation and cancer etiology and progression, offering clues into ways of therapeutically manipulating the immune system to promote immune recognition and immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manny D Bacolod
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States.
| | - Francis Barany
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Karsten Pilones
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Paul B Fisher
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, VCU Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States
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Distinct expression profiles and functions of Kindlins in breast cancer. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2018; 37:281. [PMID: 30477537 PMCID: PMC6260766 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-018-0955-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Background Kindlin-1, − 2, and − 3 are the three members of the Kindlin family. They are best known as regulators of integrin functions, contributing to fundamental biological processes such as cell survival, adhesion and migration. Their deregulation leads to diverse pathologies including a broad range of cancers in which both, tumor-promoting and tumor-inhibiting functions have been described. Methods To better characterize Kindlins implication in breast cancer, in vitro experiments were performed in a series of cancer cell lines. We first assessed their expression profiles and subcellular distributions. Then, their involvement in breast cancer cell morphology, migration and invasion was verified by examining phenotypic changes induced by the depletion of either isoforms using RNA interference. An expression study was performed in a series of breast cancer patient derived xenografts (n = 58) to define the epithelial and stromal contribution of each Kindlin. Finally, we analyzed the expression levels of the three Kindlins in a large series of human breast tumors, at the RNA (n = 438) and protein (n = 129) levels and we evaluated their correlation with the clinical outcome. Results We determined that Kindlin-1 and Kindlin-2, but not Kindlin-3, were expressed in breast tumor cells. We uncovered the compensatory roles of Kindlin-1 and -2 in focal adhesion dynamics and cell motility. Remarkably, Kindlin-2 had a predominant effect on cell spreading and Kindlin-1 on cell invasion. In line with these experimental observations, Kindlin-1 overexpression was associated with a worse patients’ outcome. Notably, Kindlin-3, expressed by tumor infiltrating leukocytes, also correlated with a poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. Conclusion This study demonstrates that each one of the Kindlin family members has a different expression profile emphasizing their redundant and complementary roles in breast tumor cells. We highlight the specific link between Kindlin-1 and breast cancer progression. In addition, Kindlin-3 overexpression in the tumor microenvironment is associated with more aggressive breast tumors. These results suggest that Kindlins play distinctive roles in breast cancer. Kindlins may be useful in identifying breast cancer patients with a worst prognosis and may offer new avenues for therapeutic intervention against cancer progression. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-018-0955-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Yao M, Fang W, Smart C, Hu Q, Huang S, Alvarez N, Fields P, Cheng N. CCR2 Chemokine Receptors Enhance Growth and Cell-Cycle Progression of Breast Cancer Cells through SRC and PKC Activation. Mol Cancer Res 2018; 17:604-617. [PMID: 30446625 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-18-0750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Basal-like breast cancers are an aggressive breast cancer subtype, which often lack estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and Her2 expression, and are resistant to antihormonal and targeted therapy, resulting in few treatment options. Understanding the underlying mechanisms that regulate progression of basal-like breast cancers would lead to new therapeutic targets and improved treatment strategies. Breast cancer progression is characterized by inflammatory responses, regulated in part by chemokines. The CCL2/CCR2 chemokine pathway is best known for regulating breast cancer progression through macrophage-dependent mechanisms. Here, we demonstrated important biological roles for CCL2/CCR2 signaling in breast cancer cells. Using the MCF10CA1d xenograft model of basal-like breast cancer, primary tumor growth was significantly increased with cotransplantation of patient-derived fibroblasts expressing high levels of CCL2, and was inhibited with CRISP/R gene ablation of stromal CCL2. CRISP/R gene ablation of CCR2 in MCF10CA1d breast cancer cells inhibited breast tumor growth and M2 macrophage recruitment and validated through CCR2 shRNA knockdown in the 4T1 model. Reverse phase protein array analysis revealed that cell-cycle protein expression was associated with CCR2 expression in basal-like breast cancer cells. CCL2 treatment of basal-like breast cancer cell lines increased proliferation and cell-cycle progression associated with SRC and PKC activation. Through pharmacologic approaches, we demonstrated that SRC and PKC negatively regulated expression of the cell-cycle inhibitor protein p27KIP1, and are necessary for CCL2-induced breast cancer cell proliferation. IMPLICATIONS: This report sheds novel light on CCL2/CCR2 chemokine signaling as a mitogenic pathway and cell-cycle regulator in breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Yao
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Wei Fang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Curtis Smart
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Qingting Hu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Shixia Huang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Nehemiah Alvarez
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Patrick Fields
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Nikki Cheng
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas. .,Department of Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
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Olgun G, Sahin O, Tastan O. Discovering lncRNA mediated sponge interactions in breast cancer molecular subtypes. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:650. [PMID: 30180792 PMCID: PMC6122485 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-5006-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can indirectly regulate mRNAs expression levels by sequestering microRNAs (miRNAs), and act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) or as sponges. Previous studies identified lncRNA-mediated sponge interactions in various cancers including the breast cancer. However, breast cancer subtypes are quite distinct in terms of their molecular profiles; therefore, ceRNAs are expected to be subtype-specific as well. RESULTS To find lncRNA-mediated ceRNA interactions in breast cancer subtypes, we develop an integrative approach. We conduct partial correlation analysis and kernel independence tests on patient gene expression profiles and further refine the candidate interactions with miRNA target information. We find that although there are sponges common to multiple subtypes, there are also distinct subtype-specific interactions. Functional enrichment of mRNAs that participate in these interactions highlights distinct biological processes for different subtypes. Interestingly, some of the ceRNAs also reside in close proximity in the genome; for example, those involving HOX genes, HOTAIR, miR-196a-1 and miR-196a-2. We also discover subtype-specific sponge interactions with high prognostic potential. We found that patients differ significantly in their survival distributions if they are group based on the expression patterns of specific ceRNA interactions. However, it is not the case if the expression of individual RNAs participating in ceRNA is used. CONCLUSION These results can help shed light on subtype-specific mechanisms of breast cancer, and the methodology developed herein can help uncover sponges in other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gulden Olgun
- Department of Computer Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, 06800 Turkey
| | - Ozgur Sahin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, Bilkent University, Ankara, 06800 Turkey
| | - Oznur Tastan
- Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Tuzla, Istanbul, 34956 Turkey
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Jiang P, Gu S, Pan D, Fu J, Sahu A, Hu X, Li Z, Traugh N, Bu X, Li B, Liu J, Freeman GJ, Brown MA, Wucherpfennig KW, Liu XS. Signatures of T cell dysfunction and exclusion predict cancer immunotherapy response. Nat Med 2018; 24:1550-1558. [PMID: 30127393 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-018-0136-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2604] [Impact Index Per Article: 434.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cancer treatment by immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) can bring long-lasting clinical benefits, but only a fraction of patients respond to treatment. To predict ICB response, we developed TIDE, a computational method to model two primary mechanisms of tumor immune evasion: the induction of T cell dysfunction in tumors with high infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and the prevention of T cell infiltration in tumors with low CTL level. We identified signatures of T cell dysfunction from large tumor cohorts by testing how the expression of each gene in tumors interacts with the CTL infiltration level to influence patient survival. We also modeled factors that exclude T cell infiltration into tumors using expression signatures from immunosuppressive cells. Using this framework and pre-treatment RNA-Seq or NanoString tumor expression profiles, TIDE predicted the outcome of melanoma patients treated with first-line anti-PD1 or anti-CTLA4 more accurately than other biomarkers such as PD-L1 level and mutation load. TIDE also revealed new candidate ICB resistance regulators, such as SERPINB9, demonstrating utility for immunotherapy research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Jiang
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shengqing Gu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Deng Pan
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jingxin Fu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Avinash Sahu
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xihao Hu
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ziyi Li
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Nicole Traugh
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xia Bu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bo Li
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Bioinformatics, UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Statistics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gordon J Freeman
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Myles A Brown
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kai W Wucherpfennig
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA. .,Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - X Shirley Liu
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA. .,Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. .,School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China. .,Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
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Garbar C, Mascaux C, Merrouche Y, Bensussan A. Triple-negative and HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cell sialylation impacts tumor microenvironment T-lymphocyte subset recruitment: a possible mechanism of tumor escape. Cancer Manag Res 2018; 10:1051-1059. [PMID: 29765252 PMCID: PMC5942397 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s162932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Breast cancers develop different patterns of sialylation to modulate their tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) environment. We studied the relationship between α-2,6 sialyltransferases and the TIL in different breast cancer molecular subgroups. Materials and methods Immunohistochemical preparations were made from 39 luminal (LUM), 13 human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-overexpressing (HER2) and 47 triple-negative (TN) breast carcinomas. Targeted proteins included ST6Gal-I, ST6Gal-II, ST6GalNac-I, CD8, CD4 and granzyme-B in both cytotoxic T lymphocytes and NK lymphocytes (CTL/NK). Results CTL/NK populations were significantly more frequent in TN than LUM (P <0.001). TN showed a lower level of ST6Gal-I expression than LUM or HER2 (both P > 0.001). ST6GalNac-I expression was lower in LUM than in TN or HER2 (P = 0.002 and P = 0.02, respectively). In HER2, a significant association was found between a low level of ST6Gal-I expression and a high TIL level. In TN, a significant association was observed between a high level of ST6Gal-II expression and a high TIL level. Conclusion An increase in infiltrating lymphocytes could be influenced by low expression of ST6Gal-I in HER2 and by high expression of ST6Gal-II in TN breast cancers. Thus, targeting these sialylation pathways could modulate the levels of TIL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Garbar
- Biopathology Department, Institut Jean Godinot - Unicancer, Reims, France.,DERM-I-C EA7319, Université de Reims Champagne - Ardenne, Reims, France
| | - Corinne Mascaux
- Biopathology Department, Institut Jean Godinot - Unicancer, Reims, France.,DERM-I-C EA7319, Université de Reims Champagne - Ardenne, Reims, France
| | - Yacine Merrouche
- Biopathology Department, Institut Jean Godinot - Unicancer, Reims, France.,DERM-I-C EA7319, Université de Reims Champagne - Ardenne, Reims, France
| | - Armand Bensussan
- INSERM U976; Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratory of Immunology, Dermatology & Oncology, Paris, France
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Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in early breast cancer. Breast 2018; 37:207-214. [DOI: 10.1016/j.breast.2017.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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Study of the tumor microenvironment during breast cancer progression. Cancer Cell Int 2017; 17:123. [PMID: 29299026 PMCID: PMC5741925 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-017-0492-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Different cells and mediators in the tumor microenvironment play important roles in the progression of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the composition of the microenvironment during tumor progression in order to discover new related biomarkers and potentials for targeted therapy. Methods In this study, breast cancer biopsies from four different stages, and control breast biopsies were collected. Then, the mRNA expression of several markers related to different CD4+ T cell subsets including regulatory T cells (Treg), T helper (Th) type 1, 2 and 17 were determined. In addition, we investigated the expression of two inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) and inflammatory mediators including FASL, IDO, SOCS1, VEGF, and CCR7. Results The results showed that the expression of Th1 and Th17 genes was decreased in tumor tissues compared to control tissues. In addition, we found that the gene expression related to these two cell subsets decreased during cancer progression. Moreover, the expression level of TNF-α increased with tumor progression. Conclusion We conclude that the expression of genes related to immune response and inflammation is different between tumor tissues and control tissues. In addition, this difference was perpetuated through the different stages of cancer.
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46
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T cell receptor sequencing of early-stage breast cancer tumors identifies altered clonal structure of the T cell repertoire. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E10409-E10417. [PMID: 29138313 PMCID: PMC5715779 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1713863114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor-infiltrating T cells play an important role in many cancers, and can improve prognosis and yield therapeutic targets. We characterized T cells infiltrating both breast cancer tumors and the surrounding normal breast tissue to identify T cells specific to each, as well as their abundance in peripheral blood. Using immune profiling of the T cell beta-chain repertoire in 16 patients with early-stage breast cancer, we show that the clonal structure of the tumor is significantly different from adjacent breast tissue, with the tumor containing ∼2.5-fold greater density of T cells and higher clonality compared with normal breast. The clonal structure of T cells in blood and normal breast is more similar than between blood and tumor, and could be used to distinguish tumor from normal breast tissue in 14 of 16 patients. Many T cell sequences overlap between tissue and blood from the same patient, including ∼50% of T cells between tumor and normal breast. Both tumor and normal breast contain high-abundance "enriched" sequences that are absent or of low abundance in the other tissue. Many of these T cells are either not detected or detected with very low frequency in the blood, suggesting the existence of separate compartments of T cells in both tumor and normal breast. Enriched T cell sequences are typically unique to each patient, but a subset is shared between many different patients. We show that many of these are commonly generated sequences, and thus unlikely to play an important role in the tumor microenvironment.
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47
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Fortis SP, Sofopoulos M, Sotiriadou NN, Haritos C, Vaxevanis CK, Anastasopoulou EA, Janssen N, Arnogiannaki N, Ardavanis A, Pawelec G, Perez SA, Baxevanis CN. Differential intratumoral distributions of CD8 and CD163 immune cells as prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2017; 5:39. [PMID: 28428887 PMCID: PMC5395775 DOI: 10.1186/s40425-017-0240-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tumor immune cell infiltrates are essential in hindering cancer progression and may complement the TNM classification. CD8+ and CD163+ cells have prognostic impact in breast cancer but their spatial heterogeneity has not been extensively explored in this type of cancer. Here, their potential as prognostic biomarkers was evaluated, depending on their combined densities in the tumor center (TC) and the tumor invasive margin (IM). Methods CD8+ and CD163+ cells were quantified by immunohistochemistry of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor tissue samples from a cohort totaling 162 patients with histologically-confirmed primary invasive non-metastatic ductal breast cancer diagnosed between 2000 and 2015. Clinical follow-up (median 6.9 years) was available for 97 of these patients. Results Differential densities of CD8+ and CD163+ cells in the combined TC and IM compartments (i.e., high(H)/low(L), respectively for CD8+ cells and the reverse L/H combination for CD163+ cells) were found to have significant prognostic value for survival, and allowed better patient stratification than TNM stage, tumor size, lymph node invasion and histological grade. The combined evaluation of CD8+ and CD163+ cell densities jointly in TC and IM further improves prediction of clinical outcomes based on disease-free and overall survival. Patients having the favorable immune signatures had favorable clinical outcomes despite poor clinicopathological parameters. Conclusions Given the important roles of CD8+ and CD163+ cells in regulating opposing immune circuits, adding an assessment of their differential densities to the prognostic biomarker armamentarium in breast cancer would be valuable. Larger validation studies are necessary to confirm these findings. Trial registrations Study code: IRB-ID 6079/448/10-6-13 Date of approval: 10/06/2013 Retrospective study (2000–2010) First patient prospectively enrolled 14/2/2014 Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40425-017-0240-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sotirios P Fortis
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | | | | | - Christoforos Haritos
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | | | | | - Nicole Janssen
- Center for Medical Research, Eberhard-Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | | | - Graham Pawelec
- Center for Medical Research, Eberhard-Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sonia A Perez
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, Athens, Greece
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48
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Dewi DL, Mohapatra SR, Blanco Cabañes S, Adam I, Somarribas Patterson LF, Berdel B, Kahloon M, Thürmann L, Loth S, Heilmann K, Weichenhan D, Mücke O, Heiland I, Wimberger P, Kuhlmann JD, Kellner KH, Schott S, Plass C, Platten M, Gerhäuser C, Trump S, Opitz CA. Suppression of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 expression by promoter hypermethylation in ER-positive breast cancer. Oncoimmunology 2017; 6:e1274477. [PMID: 28344890 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2016.1274477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2016] [Revised: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Kynurenine formation by tryptophan-catabolic indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) plays a key role in tumor immune evasion and inhibition of IDO1 is efficacious in preclinical models of breast cancer. As the response of breast cancer to immune checkpoint inhibitors may be limited, a better understanding of the expression of additional targetable immunomodulatory pathways is of importance. We therefore investigated the regulation of IDO1 expression in different breast cancer subtypes. We identified estrogen receptor α (ER) as a negative regulator of IDO1 expression. Serum kynurenine levels as well as tumoral IDO1 expression were lower in patients with ER-positive than ER-negative tumors and an inverse relationship between IDO1 and estrogen receptor mRNA was observed across 14 breast cancer data sets. Analysis of whole genome bisulfite sequencing, 450k, MassARRAY and pyrosequencing data revealed that the IDO1 promoter is hypermethylated in ER-positive compared with ER-negative breast cancer. Reduced induction of IDO1 was also observed in human ER-positive breast cancer cell lines. IDO1 induction was enhanced upon DNA demethylation in ER-positive but not in ER-negative cells and methylation of an IDO1 promoter construct reduced IDO1 expression, suggesting that enhanced methylation of the IDO1 promoter suppresses IDO1 in ER-positive breast cancer. The association of ER overexpression with epigenetic downregulation of IDO1 appears to be a particular feature of breast cancer as IDO1 was not suppressed by IDO1 promoter hypermethylation in the presence of high ER expression in cervical or endometrial cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dyah L Dewi
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Soumya R Mohapatra
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Saioa Blanco Cabañes
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Isabell Adam
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Bianca Berdel
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Masroor Kahloon
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Loreen Thürmann
- Department of Environmental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ , Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefanie Loth
- Department of Environmental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ , Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katharina Heilmann
- Epigenomics and Cancer Risk Factors, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dieter Weichenhan
- Epigenomics and Cancer Risk Factors, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Oliver Mücke
- Epigenomics and Cancer Risk Factors, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ines Heiland
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT Arctic University of Norway , Tromsø, Norway
| | - Pauline Wimberger
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), partner site Dresden, Dresden, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Dresden and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jan Dominik Kuhlmann
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), partner site Dresden, Dresden, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Dresden and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Sarah Schott
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Heidelberg , Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christoph Plass
- Epigenomics and Cancer Risk Factors, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Platten
- Neurology Clinic and National Center for Tumor Diseases, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Clarissa Gerhäuser
- Epigenomics and Cancer Risk Factors, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) , Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Saskia Trump
- Department of Environmental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ , Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christiane A Opitz
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Neurology Clinic and National Center for Tumor Diseases, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Yu T, Di G. Role of tumor microenvironment in triple-negative breast cancer and its prognostic significance. Chin J Cancer Res 2017; 29:237-252. [PMID: 28729775 PMCID: PMC5497211 DOI: 10.21147/j.issn.1000-9604.2017.03.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer has been shown to live in the tumor microenvironment, which consists of not only breast cancer cells themselves but also a significant amount of pathophysiologically altered surrounding stroma and cells. Diverse components of the breast cancer microenvironment, such as suppressive immune cells, re-programmed fibroblast cells, altered extracellular matrix (ECM) and certain soluble factors, synergistically impede an effective anti-tumor response and promote breast cancer progression and metastasis. Among these components, stromal cells in the breast cancer microenvironment are characterized by molecular alterations and aberrant signaling pathways, whereas the ECM features biochemical and biomechanical changes. However, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most aggressive subtype of this disease that lacks effective therapies available for other subtypes, is considered to feature a unique microenvironment distinct from that of other subtypes, especially compared to Luminal A subtype. Because these changes are now considered to significantly impact breast cancer development and progression, these unique alterations may serve as promising prognostic factors of clinical outcome or potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of TNBC. In this review, we focus on the composition of the TNBC microenvironment, concomitant distinct biological alteration, specific interplay between various cell types and TNBC cells, and the prognostic implications of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianjian Yu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Genhong Di
- Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
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