PD1⁺ Tumor Associated Macrophages Predict Poor Prognosis of Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Aim: Tumor associated macrophages are the most abundant cancer immune cells. However, little was known about the identity of CD68⁺PD1⁺ macrophages as well as the contributions in the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods & methods: Immunofluorescence, flowcytometry and RT-PCR were used to analysis PD1⁺ macrophages in ESCC. Results: CD68⁺PD1⁺ macrophages which can express higher M2 markers in cancer tissues, increased about 4.2-times compared with para-cancer tissues. Additionally, PD1^high macrophages were significantly correlated with more malignant phenotypes and poor prognosis. PD1 treatment can enhance phagocytosis of cultured macrophages and redirect this macrophage to M1-like phenotype. Conclusion: Thus, our findings overall indicate that CD68⁺PD1⁺ macrophages are tumor associated macrophagess in ESCC, which can forecast the prognosis of ESCC.

Keywords::

• CD68
• esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
• PD1
• prognosis
• tumor-associated macrophage

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/fon-2019-0519

Author contributions

Y Lu designed experiments, performed research, analyzed the data and drafted manuscript. L Guo collected samples and performed experiments. G Ding edited the manuscript.

Acknowledgments

We thank The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University for the fresh tissues of ESCC patients.

Financial&competing interests disclosure

The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Institutional review board approval and data sharing agreements were obtained from all participating institutions. All data were anonymized.