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Analysis of immune landscape in pancreatic and ileal neuroendocrine tumours demonstrates an immune cold tumour microenvironment

Analysis of immune landscape in pancreatic and ileal neuroendocrine tumours demonstrates an immune cold tumour microenvironment
Analysis of immune landscape in pancreatic and ileal neuroendocrine tumours demonstrates an immune cold tumour microenvironment

INTRODUCTION: Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are rare tumours with an increasing incidence. While low- and intermediate-grade pancreatic NET (PanNET) and small intestinal NET (siNET) are slow growing, they have a relatively high rate of metastasizing to the liver, leading to substantially worse outcomes. In many solid tumours, the outcome is determined by the quality of the antitumour immune response. However, the quality and significance of antitumour responses in NETs are incompletely understood. This study provides clinico-pathological analyses of the tumour immune microenvironment in PanNET and siNETs.

METHODS: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue from consecutive resected PanNETs (61) and siNETs (131) was used to construct tissue microarrays (TMAs); 1-mm cores were taken from the tumour centre, stroma, tumour edge, and adjacent healthy tissue. TMAs were stained with antibodies against CD8, CD4, CD68, FoxP3, CD20, and NCR1. T-cell counts were compared with counts from lung cancers.

RESULTS: For PanNET, median counts were CD8+ 35.4 cells/mm2, CD4+ 7.6 cells/mm2, and CD68+ macrophages 117.7 cells/mm2. For siNET, there were CD8+ 39.2 cells/mm2, CD4+ 24.1 cells/mm2, and CD68+ 139.2 cells/mm2. The CD8+ cell density in the tumour and liver metastases were significantly lower than in the adjacent normal tissues, without evidence of a cell-rich area at the tumour edge that might have suggested immune exclusion. T-cell counts in lung cancer were significantly higher than those in PanNET and siNETs: CD8+ 541 cells/mm2 and CD4+ 861 cells/mm2 (p ≤ 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: PanNETs and siNETs are immune cold with no evidence of T cell exclusion; the low density of immune infiltrates indicates poor antitumour immune responses.

0028-3835
Tanno, Lulu
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Naheed, Salma
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Dunbar, Jonathan
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Tod, Jo
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Lopez, Maria A
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Taylor, Julian
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Machado, Maria
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Green, Bryan
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Ashton-Key, Margaret
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Chee, Serena J
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Wood, Oliver
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Pearce, Neil W
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Thomas, Gareth J
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Friedmann, Peter S
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Cave, Judith
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Ottensmeier, Christian H
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Tanno, Lulu
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Naheed, Salma
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Dunbar, Jonathan
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Tod, Jo
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Lopez, Maria A
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Taylor, Julian
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Machado, Maria
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Green, Bryan
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Ashton-Key, Margaret
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Chee, Serena J
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Wood, Oliver
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Pearce, Neil W
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Thomas, Gareth J
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Friedmann, Peter S
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Cave, Judith
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Ottensmeier, Christian H
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Tanno, Lulu, Naheed, Salma, Dunbar, Jonathan, Tod, Jo, Lopez, Maria A, Taylor, Julian, Machado, Maria, Green, Bryan, Ashton-Key, Margaret, Chee, Serena J, Wood, Oliver, Pearce, Neil W, Thomas, Gareth J, Friedmann, Peter S, Cave, Judith and Ottensmeier, Christian H (2021) Analysis of immune landscape in pancreatic and ileal neuroendocrine tumours demonstrates an immune cold tumour microenvironment. Neuroendocrinology. (doi:10.1159/000517688).

Record type: Article

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are rare tumours with an increasing incidence. While low- and intermediate-grade pancreatic NET (PanNET) and small intestinal NET (siNET) are slow growing, they have a relatively high rate of metastasizing to the liver, leading to substantially worse outcomes. In many solid tumours, the outcome is determined by the quality of the antitumour immune response. However, the quality and significance of antitumour responses in NETs are incompletely understood. This study provides clinico-pathological analyses of the tumour immune microenvironment in PanNET and siNETs.

METHODS: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue from consecutive resected PanNETs (61) and siNETs (131) was used to construct tissue microarrays (TMAs); 1-mm cores were taken from the tumour centre, stroma, tumour edge, and adjacent healthy tissue. TMAs were stained with antibodies against CD8, CD4, CD68, FoxP3, CD20, and NCR1. T-cell counts were compared with counts from lung cancers.

RESULTS: For PanNET, median counts were CD8+ 35.4 cells/mm2, CD4+ 7.6 cells/mm2, and CD68+ macrophages 117.7 cells/mm2. For siNET, there were CD8+ 39.2 cells/mm2, CD4+ 24.1 cells/mm2, and CD68+ 139.2 cells/mm2. The CD8+ cell density in the tumour and liver metastases were significantly lower than in the adjacent normal tissues, without evidence of a cell-rich area at the tumour edge that might have suggested immune exclusion. T-cell counts in lung cancer were significantly higher than those in PanNET and siNETs: CD8+ 541 cells/mm2 and CD4+ 861 cells/mm2 (p ≤ 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: PanNETs and siNETs are immune cold with no evidence of T cell exclusion; the low density of immune infiltrates indicates poor antitumour immune responses.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 8 June 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 22 June 2021
Additional Information: © 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 451701
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/451701
ISSN: 0028-3835
PURE UUID: 04469c6e-a7be-4b57-8fc6-ba21ae22d341

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Date deposited: 20 Oct 2021 16:35
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 14:20

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Contributors

Author: Lulu Tanno
Author: Salma Naheed
Author: Jonathan Dunbar
Author: Jo Tod
Author: Maria A Lopez
Author: Julian Taylor
Author: Maria Machado
Author: Bryan Green
Author: Margaret Ashton-Key
Author: Serena J Chee
Author: Oliver Wood
Author: Neil W Pearce
Author: Gareth J Thomas
Author: Peter S Friedmann
Author: Judith Cave

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