Tissue imaging-based immune profiling of head and neck cancer

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H07016
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Otorhinolaryngology
• Research Institution: Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Tsujikawa Takahiro 京都府立医科大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (80713916)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-08-25 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 頭頸部癌 / 腫瘍免疫 / イメージング / 癌微小環境

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Understanding tumor and immune microenvironment facilitates development of biomarker-guided treatment optimization including immunotherapy. To further evaluate tumor-immune heterogeneity, 14 immune cell lineages were analyzed in specimens of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in terms of the prognostic significance of immune density and distribution via multiplex immunohistochemistry and image cytometry. Cox regression analysis of cell density and distribution of the 14 immune populations revealed that CD66b+ granulocyte infiltration within tumor correlated with short overall survival, inversely correlated with tropism of polarized Th1-type cells within tumor nests versus stroma. These results demonstrate the presence of micro-regional immune complexity profiles correlating with prognosis, providing further insight into immunobiology of head and neck cancer.

Free Research Field

頭頸部外科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本手法の原法は1978年に報告されているが(Tramu G et al. J Histochem Cytochem 1978)、様々な染色・抗体除去手順の最適化やデジタル画像解析技術の併用で、従来の方法では実現困難であった低コストでの多重染色技術を確立した。本研究を通じて、組織バイオマーカーの解析技術が進歩すれば、近年拡大している免疫療法の治療効果予測、最適化にもつながり、治療成績の向上、副作用・医療費低減に寄与しうる。