A novel subset of B7-H3 + CD14 + HLA-DR -/low myeloid-derived suppressor cells are associated with progression of human NSCLC.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) potently inhibit antitumor immune responses, and thereby promoti tumor progression and metastasis. However, the nature of human tumor-infiltrating MDSC remains poorly characterized. Here, we find B7-H3 is exclusively expressed on a subset of intratumoral CD14 ⁺ HLA-DR ^-/low MDSC but absent from adjacent normal lung tissues of patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Cytokine analysis revealed that B7-H3 ⁺ CD14 ⁺ HLA-DR ^-/low MDSC (B7-H3 ⁺ MDSC) produced higher levels of IL-10 and TNFα but lower levels of IL-1β and IL-6 when compared with B7-H3 ^- CD14 ⁺ HLA-DR ^-/low myeloid-derived suppressor cells (B7-H3 ^- MDSC). In a murine lung cancer model, B7-H3 ⁺ MDSCs were found only in the tumor microenvironment and their frequencies increased during tumor progression. Clinical data analysis indicated that a higher frequency of B7-H3 ⁺ MDSCs was associated with reduced recurrence-free survival in patients with NSCLC. Taken together, we identify a novel subset of MDSCs within the tumor microenvironment that fosters tumor progression.