Researchers at\u00a0The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center\u00a0have\u00a0discovered that\u00a0immunosuppressed\u00a0patients with non-melanoma\u00a0skin cancer\u00a0are not missing\u00a0the\u00a0key\u00a0cancer-fighting\u00a0immune cells\u00a0found in\u00a0immunocompetent patients,\u00a0but\u00a0those cells\u00a0\u2013 known as macrophages \u2013\u00a0have\u00a0lost\u00a0the ability to communicate effectively.\u00a0This new understanding may help researchers\u00a0develop\u00a0new treatment approaches\u00a0for\u00a0these aggressive\u00a0skin\u00a0cancers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The study, published today in\u00a0Cell,\u00a0was\u00a0co-led by\u00a0Moran Amit, M.D., Ph.D.,\u00a0assistant professor of\u00a0Head and Neck Surgery;\u00a0Kunal Rai, Ph.D.,\u00a0associate professor of\u00a0Genomic Medicine;\u00a0Frederico\u00a0Gleber-Netto, D.D.S., Ph.D.,\u00a0assistant professor of Head and Neck Surgery;\u00a0Priyadharsini\u00a0Nagarajan, M.D., Ph.D.,\u00a0associate professor of\u00a0Anatomic\u00a0Pathology;\u00a0and\u00a0Michael Migden, M.D., professor of\u00a0Dermatology.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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For years,\u00a0treating these patients\u00a0has been\u00a0very\u00a0challenging, even in the era of\u00a0immunotherapy<\/a>.\u00a0The prevailing thought has long been that these patients simply have fewer of\u00a0these\u00a0important\u00a0immune\u00a0cells, but that is not what we saw, We learned\u00a0that the quality of the immune cells and their interactions may be just as important as the number of cells present. This is an important finding\u00a0because these patients need better treatment options.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nMoran Amit, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Head and Neck Surgery,\u00a0The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Why\u00a0is skin cancer\u00a0more dangerous\u00a0in\u00a0immunosuppressed\u00a0patients?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Non-melanoma<\/a> skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S.\u00a0People with weakened immune systems, including organ transplant recipients and those with certain blood cancers,\u00a0are more likely to develop aggressive forms of the disease.\u00a0Often,\u00a0their immunosuppression excludes\u00a0these patients from being treated with\u00a0the\u00a0immune checkpoint inhibitors\u00a0that\u00a0benefit\u00a0other patients, leaving\u00a0them\u00a0no\u00a0immunotherapy\u00a0options.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What did the researchers learn?\u00a0<\/p>\n
In this study, the team analyzed tumors from 138 patients with non-melanoma skin cancer. Patients with weakened immune systems had\u00a0shorter\u00a0disease-free survival and a five-year overall survival rate of 33% compared to 68.8% for\u00a0patients\u00a0with\u00a0normal immune function.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Macrophages\u00a0are\u00a0white blood\u00a0cells\u00a0that help\u00a0coordinate the body’s immune response.\u00a0When functioning normally, macrophages\u00a0help T cells<\/a> recognize and attack cancer.\u00a0Single-cell analysis revealed that tumors in immunosuppressed patients had many of the same immune-cell types,\u00a0but\u00a0they\u00a0were less effective at sending cancer-related signals to other cells. Additionally,\u00a0they\u00a0had\u00a0reduced receptor\u00a0diversity, suggesting that their ability to recognize cancer cells\u00a0was more limited.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What’s\u00a0next\u00a0for this research?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Understanding\u00a0exactly\u00a0how\u00a0the\u00a0immune\u00a0cells are altered\u00a0could help researchers develop methods for preventing or reversing\u00a0those changes,\u00a0opening\u00a0new\u00a0therapeutic\u00a0options for these patients.\u00a0These findings\u00a0also\u00a0highlight the importance of innate immunity in shaping\u00a0antitumor responses, which could\u00a0lead researchers to\u00a0test\u00a0treatments to\u00a0boost this\u00a0innate immunity or improve immune\u00a0cell communication\u00a0within tumors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Now that we know the cells are\u00a0there,\u00a0it\u00a0changes how we approach this problem,” Amit said.\u00a0“We\u00a0are now\u00a0investigating\u00a0efforts\u00a0to boost\u00a0the cells\u00a0or\u00a0help\u00a0them recover their lost functionality.\u00a0That’s\u00a0a shift in how we approach this disease, but it could lead to promising new avenues of research for treatments.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Source:<\/p>\n
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center<\/a><\/p>\n
Journal reference:<\/p>\n