Chen Bingjun, Fan Huayang, Pang Xin, Shen Zeliang, Gao Rui, Wang Haofan, Yu Zhenwei, Li Tianjiao, Li Mao, Tang Yaling, Liang Xinhua
State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & Department of Oral Pathology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Int J Oral Sci. 2025 May 13;17(1):40. doi: 10.1038/s41368-025-00366-8.
Microwave thermochemotherapy (MTC) has been applied to treat lip squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), but a deeper understanding of its therapeutic mechanisms and molecular biology is needed. To address this, we used single-cell transcriptomics (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics (ST) to highlight the pivotal role of tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) among tumor-infiltrating immune cells and their therapeutic response to MTC. MNDA TANs with anti-tumor activity (N1-phenotype) are found to be abundantly infiltrated by MTC with benefit of increased blood perfusion, and these TANs are characterized by enhanced cytotoxicity, ameliorated hypoxia, and upregulated IL1B, activating T&NK cells and fibroblasts via IL1B-IL1R. In this highly anti-tumor immunogenic and hypoxia-reversed microenvironment under MTC, fibroblasts accumulated in the tumor front (TF) can recruit N1-TANs via CXCL2-CXCR2 and clear N2-TANs (pro-tumor phenotype) via CXCL12-CXCR4, which results in the aggregation of N1-TANs and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. In addition, we construct an N1-TANs marker, MX2, which positively correlates with better prognosis in LSCC patients, and employ deep learning techniques to predict expression of MX2 from hematoxylin-eosin (H&E)-stained images so as to conveniently guide decision making in clinical practice. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that the N1-TANs/fibroblasts defense wall formed in response to MTC effectively combat LSCC.
微波热化疗(MTC)已被应用于治疗唇部鳞状细胞癌(LSCC),但仍需要对其治疗机制和分子生物学有更深入的了解。为了解决这个问题,我们使用单细胞转录组学(scRNA-seq)和空间转录组学(ST)来突出肿瘤相关中性粒细胞(TANs)在肿瘤浸润免疫细胞中的关键作用及其对MTC的治疗反应。发现具有抗肿瘤活性的MNDA TANs(N1表型)大量被MTC浸润,受益于血液灌注增加,并且这些TANs的特征是细胞毒性增强、缺氧改善以及IL1B上调,通过IL1B-IL1R激活T细胞和NK细胞以及成纤维细胞。在MTC诱导的这种高度抗肿瘤免疫原性和缺氧逆转的微环境中,肿瘤前沿(TF)积累的成纤维细胞可通过CXCL2-CXCR2招募N1-TANs,并通过CXCL12-CXCR4清除N2-TANs(促肿瘤表型),这导致N1-TANs聚集和细胞外基质(ECM)沉积。此外,我们构建了一个N1-TANs标志物MX2,其与LSCC患者的较好预后呈正相关,并采用深度学习技术从苏木精-伊红(H&E)染色图像预测MX2的表达,以便在临床实践中方便地指导决策。总体而言,我们的研究结果表明,响应MTC形成的N1-TANs/成纤维细胞防御壁能有效对抗LSCC。