Clinical implications of systemic and local immune responses in human angiosarcoma
Chan, Jason Yongsheng ; Tan, Grace Fangmin ; Yeong, Joe ; Ong, Chee Wee ; Ng, Dave Yong Xiang ; Lee, Elizabeth ; Koh, Joanna ; Ng, Cedric Chuan-Young ; Lee, Jing Yi ; Liu, Wei ... show 5 more
Tan, Grace Fangmin
Yeong, Joe
Ong, Chee Wee
Ng, Dave Yong Xiang
Lee, Elizabeth
Koh, Joanna
Ng, Cedric Chuan-Young
Lee, Jing Yi
Liu, Wei
Citations
Altmetric:
Alternative Title
Abstract
Angiosarcomas are a rare subtype of soft-tissue sarcomas which exhibit aggressive clinical phenotypes with limited treatment options and poor outcomes. In this study, we investigated the clinical relevance of the peripheral blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a marker of systemic immune response, as well as its correlation with intra-tumoral immune profiles in a subgroup of cases (n = 35) using the NanoString PanCancer IO360 panel and multiplex immunohistochemistry. In the overall cohort (n = 150), angiosarcomas of the head and neck (AS-HN) comprised most cases (58.7%) and median overall survival (OS) was 1.1 year. NLR, classified as high in 78 of 112 (70%) evaluable patients, was independently correlated with worse OS (HR 1.84, 95%CI 1.18–2.87, p = 0.0073). Peripheral blood NLR was positively correlated with intra-tumoral NLR (tNLR) (Spearman’s rho 0.450, p = 0.0067). Visualization of tumor-infiltrating immune cells confirmed that tNLR scores correlated directly with both neutrophil (CD15+ cells, rho 0.398, p = 0.0198) and macrophage (CD68+ cells, rho 0.515, p = 0.0018) cell counts. Interestingly, tNLR correlated positively with oncogenic pathway scores including angiogenesis, matrix remodeling and metastasis, and cytokine and chemokine signaling, as well as myeloid compartment scores (all p < 0.001). In patients with documented response assessment to first-line chemotherapy, these pathway scores were all significantly higher in non-responders (47%) compared to responders. In conclusion, systemic and local immune responses may inform chemotherapy response and clinical outcomes in angiosarcomas. © 2021, The Author(s).
Keywords
Source Title
npj Precision Oncology
Publisher
Nature Research
Series/Report No.
Collections
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International
Date
2021-02-12
DOI
10.1038/s41698-021-00150-x
Type
Article