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The expression profiles of CD47 in the tumor microenvironment of salivary gland cancers: a next step in histology-driven immunotherapy

Authors :
Michal Votava
Robin Bartolini
Linda Capkova
Jitka Smetanova
Vachtenheim Jiri
Martin Kuchar
David Kalfert
Jan Plzak
Jirina Bartunkova
Zuzana Strizova
Source :
BMC Cancer, Vol 22, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
BMC, 2022.

Abstract

Abstract Background Salivary gland carcinomas (SGC) are extremely rare malignancies with only limited treatment options for the metastatic phase of the disease. Treatment with anti-CD47 antibodies could represent a potent therapy for SGCs by promoting the phagocytic clearance of tumor cells through various mechanisms. However, the efficacy of anti-CD47 therapy is largely dependent on the expression of CD47 within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Materials and Methods In 43 patients with SGC, we were the first to investigate the CD47 expression in both tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIIC) in the center and periphery of primary tumors. We also correlated the data with the clinicopathological variables of the patients and offered novel insights into the potential effectiveness of anti-CD47 therapy in SGCs. Results We observed that the CD47+ tumor cells are outnumbered by CD47+ TIICs in mucoepidermoid carcinoma. In the tumor center, the proportion of CD47+ tumor cells was comparable to the proportion of CD47+ TIICs in most histological subtypes. In low-grade tumors, significantly higher expression of CD47 was observed in TIICs in the periphery of the tumor as compared to the center of the tumor. Conclusion The reason for a high expression of ‘don’t eat me’ signals in TIICs in the tumor periphery is unclear. However, we hypothesize that in the tumor periphery, upregulation of CD47 in TIICs could be a mechanism to protect newly recruited leukocytes from macrophage-mediated phagocytosis, while also allowing the removal of old or exhausted leukocytes in the tumor center.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
14712407
Volume :
22
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
BMC Cancer
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.09c163848b14ef1a436908b017a3737
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-022-10114-4