Open Access
CD 169‐positive sinus macrophages in the lymph nodes determine bladder cancer prognosis
Author(s) -
Asano Touko,
Ohnishi Koji,
Shiota Takuya,
Motoshima Takanobu,
Sugiyama Yutaka,
Yatsuda Junji,
Kamba Tomomi,
Ishizaka Kazuhiro,
Komohara Yoshihiro
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
cancer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 1347-9032
DOI - 10.1111/cas.13565
Subject(s) - bladder cancer , lymph , medicine , cancer , immunohistochemistry , cystectomy , pathology , cancer cell , oncology
CD 169 + macrophages are suggested to play a pivotal role in establishing anti‐tumor immunity. They capture dead tumor cell‐associated antigens and transfer their information to lymphocsytes, including CD 8 + T cells, which is important for successful tumor suppression. This study aimed to determine the prognostic significance of CD 169 + macrophages residing in the tumor‐draining lymph nodes from cases of bladder cancer. In this retrospective study, 44 bladder cancer patients who received radical cystectomy were examined. The abundance of CD 169 + macrophages in the regional lymph nodes and the number of CD 8 + T cells in the primary tumor were investigated by immunohistochemistry. A CD 169 score was calculated based on the intensity of CD 169 staining and the proportion of CD 169 + macrophages, and the scores were compared to the patients’ clinicopathological parameters. A high CD 169 score was significantly associated with low T stage and with a high number of CD 8 + T cells infiltrating into the tumor. The group with high CD 169 expression had significantly longer cancer‐specific survival than the group with low CD 169 expression (5‐year cancer‐specific survival rate: 83.3% vs 31.3%). In a multivariate analysis, the CD 169 score was identified as a strong and independent favorable prognostic factor for cancer‐specific survival. Our findings suggest that CD 169 + macrophages in the lymph nodes enhance anti‐tumor immunity by expanding CD 8 + T cells in bladder cancer. The CD 169 score may serve as a novel marker for the evaluation of bladder cancer prognosis.