Branchi Vittorio, Jürgensen Benedict, Esser Laura, Gonzalez-Carmona Maria, Weismüller Tobias J, Strassburg Christian P, Henn Jonas, Semaan Alexander, Lingohr Philipp, Manekeller Steffen, Kristiansen Glen, Kalff Jörg C, Toma Marieta I, Matthaei Hanno
Department of General, Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
J Pers Med. 2021 Mar 23;11(3):233. doi: 10.3390/jpm11030233.
Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is characterized by an intense stromal reaction and a complex landscape of infiltrating immune cells. Evidence is emerging that tumor-infiltrating neutrophils (TINs) have an impact on carcinogenesis and tumor progression. TINs have also been associated with outcomes in various solid malignant tumors but their possible clinical role in BTC is largely unknown. Tissue samples from patients with sporadic BTC ("spBTC" cohort, = 53) and BTC in association with primary sclerosing cholangitis ("PSC-BTC" cohort, = 7) were collected. Furthermore, tissue samples from 27 patients with PSC who underwent liver transplantation ("PSC-LTX" cohort) were investigated. All specimens were assessed for TIN density in invasive and precancerous lesions (biliary intraepithelial neoplasia, BilIN). Most spBTC showed low TIN density (LD, 61%). High TIN density (HD) was detected in 16% of the tumors, whereas 23% were classified as intermediate density (ID); the majority of both HD and ID groups were in T1-T2 tumors (83% and 100%, = 0.012). TIN density in BilIN lesions did not significantly differ among the three groups. The HD group had a mean overall survival (OS) of 53.5 months, whereas the mean OS in the LD and ID groups was significantly shorter (LD 29.5 months vs. ID 24.6 months, log-rank < 0.05). The results of this study underline the possible prognostic relevance of TINs in BTC and stress the complexity of the immune cell landscape in BTC. The prognostic relevance of TINs suggests a key regulator role in inflammation and immune landscape in BTC.
胆管癌(BTC)的特征是强烈的基质反应和浸润免疫细胞的复杂格局。越来越多的证据表明,肿瘤浸润性中性粒细胞(TINs)对肿瘤发生和肿瘤进展有影响。TINs也与各种实体恶性肿瘤的预后相关,但其在BTC中可能的临床作用在很大程度上尚不清楚。收集了散发性BTC患者(“spBTC”队列,n = 53)和与原发性硬化性胆管炎相关的BTC患者(“PSC-BTC”队列,n = 7)的组织样本。此外,还研究了27例接受肝移植的PSC患者(“PSC-LTX”队列)的组织样本。对所有标本的浸润性和癌前病变(胆管上皮内瘤变,BilIN)中的TIN密度进行评估。大多数spBTC显示TIN密度低(LD,61%)。16%的肿瘤检测到高TIN密度(HD),而23%被归类为中等密度(ID);HD组和ID组的大多数患者为T1-T2肿瘤(83%和100%,P = 0.012)。三组之间BilIN病变中的TIN密度没有显著差异。HD组的平均总生存期(OS)为53.5个月,而LD组和ID组的平均OS明显较短(LD为29.5个月,ID为24.6个月,对数秩检验P<0.05)。本研究结果强调了TINs在BTC中可能的预后相关性,并强调了BTC中免疫细胞格局的复杂性。TINs的预后相关性表明其在BTC的炎症和免疫格局中起关键调节作用。