Identification of tumor-associated macrophage subsets that are associated with breast cancer prognosis.

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, demanding new treatment options. With the advent of immune checkpoint blockade, immunotherapy emerged as a treatment option. In addition to lymphocytes, tumor-associated macrophages exert a significant, albeit controversial, impact on tumor development. Pro-inflammatory macrophages are thought to hinder, whereas anti-inflammatory macrophages promote tumor growth. However, molecular markers to identify prognostic macrophage populations remain elusive.

METHODS

We isolated two macrophage subsets, from 48 primary human breast tumors, distinguished by the expression of CD206. Their transcriptomes were analyzed via RNA-Seq, and potential prognostic macrophage markers were validated by PhenOptics in tissue microarrays of patients with invasive breast cancer.

RESULTS

Normal human breast tissue contained mainly CD206 macrophages, while increased relative amounts of CD206 macrophages were observed in tumors. The presence of CD206 macrophages correlated with a pronounced lymphocyte infiltrate and subsets of CD206 macrophages, expressing SERPINH1 and collagen 1, or MORC4, were unexpectedly associated with improved survival of breast cancer patients. In contrast, MHCII CD206 macrophages were linked with a poor survival prognosis.

CONCLUSION

Our data highlight the heterogeneity of tumor-infiltrating macrophages and suggest the use of multiple phenotypic markers to predict the impact of macrophage subpopulations on cancer prognosis. We identified novel macrophage markers that correlate with the survival of patients with invasive mammary carcinoma.