Density and entropy of immune cells within the tumor microenvironment of primary tumors and matched brain metastases

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Markus Kleinberger - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Didem Çifçi - , Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Digital Health (Author)
  • Christina Paiato - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Erwin Tomasich - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Maximilian J. Mair - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Ariane Steindl - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Zoltán Spiró - , Medical University of Vienna, CBmed GmbH (Author)
  • Zunamys I. Carrero - , Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Digital Health (Author)
  • Luzia Berchtold - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Johannes Hainfellner - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Leonhard Müllauer - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Gerwin Heller - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Matthias Preusser - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Jakob Niklas Kather - , Department of Internal Medicine I, Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Digital Health, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg (Author)
  • Anna Sophie Berghoff - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)

Abstract

Background: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have increasingly been reported to impact the brain metastatic process of solid tumors. However, data on intra-individual differences between primary tumor and brain metastasis (BM), as well as their correlation with clinical outcome parameters, is scarce. Methods: We retrospectively identified patients who received resection of the primary tumor and BM between 01/1990 and 10/2022. Density quantification of TAMs (CD68+, CD163+) and TILs (CD3+, CD8+, CD45RO+, FOXP3+) was performed by immunohistochemical staining of matched tumor tissue samples. Images were processed with QuPath software and heterogeneity of generated heatmaps was measured by Shannon Entropy. Time-to-BM (TTBM) was defined as the time from diagnosis of the primary tumor until the first diagnosis of BM. Results: In total, 104 patients (46.2% female; median age 57.3 years at BM diagnosis) were included: 78/104 (75%) non-small cell lung cancer, 18/104 (17%) breast cancer, 8/104 (8%) renal cell carcinomas. Densities of CD3+ (p < 0.001) and CD8+-TILs (p < 0.001) were higher in primary tumor samples, while CD68+ (p = 0.035) and CD163+-TAM densities (p < 0.001) were higher in the matched BM. Higher CD3+, CD8+-TILs and CD163+-TAMs densities in primary tumors were associated with shorter TTBM (p = 0.005, p = 0.015 and p = 0.006, respectively). Higher entropies of CD3+ (p < 0.001) and FOXP3+ (p = 0.011) TILs were observed in primary tumors compared to BM. Longer TTBM was associated with higher entropy of FOXP3+ TILs (p = 0.024) and lower entropy in CD163+ TAMs (p = 0.039). No significant associations of immune cell densities or entropies with OS after BM diagnosis were found. Discussion: By utilizing a unique cohort of matched primary tumor and BM tissue samples, we could demonstrate higher TIL densities in primary tumors and higher TAM densities in BM, respectively. Higher cell densities of CD3+, CD8+-TILs and CD163+-TAMs in primary tumors were associated with shorter TTBM, while a larger difference between CD3+ and CD8+ densities between primary tumor and BM was associated with longer TTBM. These findings highlight the potential of targeting TAMs as a therapeutic strategy to mitigate the development of brain metastases.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number34
Number of pages12
JournalActa neuropathologica communications
Volume13
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 19 Feb 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 39972401
ORCID /0000-0001-8501-1566/work/188859658
ORCID /0000-0002-3730-5348/work/198594681