tumor immunoregulatory mechanism in hepatocellular carcinoma

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K17557
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 55010:General surgery and pediatric surgery-related
• Research Institution: Kumamoto University
• Principal Investigator: Yusa Toshihiko 熊本大学, 大学院生命科学研究部(医), 特定研究員 (20867204)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 腫瘍微小環境 / 腫瘍関連好中球 / 腫瘍関連マクロファージ / CD８陽性リンパ球 / 制御性T細胞 / 肝細胞癌 / 腫瘍免疫

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to investigate the localization of immune cells both inside and around the tumor in hepatocellular carcinoma, and to clarify the relationship with clinicopathological factors and the effect on prognosis. The degree of localization and invasion of immune cells was compared with the patient background factors and prognosis by immunostaining using the paraffin tissue of the resected specimen. As a result, in the examination of prognosis, cases with many neutrophils and macrophages around the tumor and cases with few CD8 + T cells had a poor prognosis. When a risk-signature model was created for four types of immune cells around the tumor, the high-risk group had a poorer prognosis than the low-risk group.

Free Research Field

消化器外科学分野

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近年抗腫瘍免疫能を賦活化する治療が肝細胞癌においても臨床応用されており、治療に関わるバイオマーカー探索や、新たな治療標的探索の重要性は高まっている。本研究の結果によって、肝細胞癌の腫瘍微小環境における免疫細胞群が腫瘍内だけでなく腫瘍周囲環境においても予後に影響を及ぼす可能性が示唆された。今後さらに詳細なメカニズム解明を行うことで癌治療への臨床応用が進むことが期待される。