Is overexpression of CD163 and CD47 in tumour cells of breast carcinoma implicated in the recruitment of tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) in tumour microenvironment? immunohistochemical prognostic study

ABSTRACT

Background

Now, targeted therapy and immunotherapy are promoted. tumour -Associated Macrophages (TAMs) are an essential component of immune-response in breast cancer(BC) with prognostic controversy. Additionally, their recruiting factors are still obscure. Purpose:This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of CD163 and CD47 in BC of No Special Type (BC-NST) and to explore their suggested role in recruiting TAMs.

Material and methods

This immunohistochemical study was conducted on 91 archival specimens of breast cases. Immunoreactivity scores were correlated with TAMs density, clinicopathological data, and survival.

Results

Revealed the highest CD163 expression was detected in the pure DCIS group (p = 0.016), while the highest CD47 expression and high TAMs density were reported in the invasive group (p = 0.008, and p = 0.002 respectively) followed by the DCIS group. In IC-NSTs the CD163 and CD47 scores were associated with poor prognostic parameters like(high grade, advanced stage, distant metastasis, ER negativity,Ki67 index, post-surgical chemotherapy, poor NPI group, high mitotic count, dense infiltration of TAMs, shorter OS). Also, CD47 was associated with the dens infiltration of TAMs in DCIS (p = 0.001). There was a significant correlation between tumour cell expression of CD163 and CD47 in IC-NSTs and DCIS (p = 0.002 and p = 0.009 respectively).

Conclusions

High CD163 and CD47 expressions in both DCIS andIBC are intimately associated, significantly associated with poor prognosis and are important provoking factors of TAMs.

KEYWORDS:

• CD163
• CD47
• tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs)
• DCIS
• breast cancer

Abbreviations

Ep	=	epithelial cells
BC	=	Breast Cancer
(TME)	=	tumour microenvironment
(TAMs)	=	tumour -associated macrophages
(EMT)	=	epithelial-mesenchymal transition
(BCSC)	=	BC stem cells
IC	=	invasive carcinoma
DCIS	=	Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
kDa	=	kilodalton
BC-NST	=	BC of No Special Type
IC-NST	=	Invasive Carcinoma of No Special Type

Acknowledgments

We appreciate the efforts of Dr. Manar Salah from the oncology department for providing some of the studied cases. And also we appreciate the efforts of Prof. RedaAbdel Latif Ibrahem, professor of Community Medicine for revising the statistic analysis section.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

1. Marwa Mohammed Dawoud: Study design, supervising the implementation of the practical steps and analyzing results, writing the manuscript, and the corresponding author.

2. Hayam Abd El Samie Aiad: Revising writing and analyzing data.

3. Norhan Safwat Kasem: Implementing the practical steps, analyzing data, and helping 415 provide data for writing the manuscript.

4. Enas Abu-Bakr El Khouly: providing clinical and therapeutic data of the studied cases.

5. Dalia Rifaat Al- Sharaky: Revising writing and analyzing data.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study had been approved by Menoufia University Faculty of Medicine Research Ethics Committee (IRB: 9/2018PATH47).

Study design

A retrospective case-control study.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.