Welcome to the FICAN science webinar Unveiling the immune landscape of colorectal cancer through quantitative, spatially resolved techniques on Wednesday 10 April 2024 at 15:00!
Speaker:
Juha Väyrynen, MD, PhD, Adjunct professor in Cancer Biology, University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital
Get to know the Speaker:
Juha Väyrynen | University of Oulu
This time the seminar is organized by FICAN North. The seminar will be held online (Microsoft Teams) at 15:00-16:00 and is open to everyone interested in cancer research:
Click here to join the meeting
Abstract
Recent advances in cancer immunology have led to new cancer therapies activating anti-tumor immune responses. Studies have revealed that
high lymphocyte densities are associated with favorable outcome in colorectal cancer, and the Immunoscore (IS), which measures CD3+ and
CD8+ T-cell densities, is an independent prognostic factor in colon cancer, surpassing the traditional TNM (tumor-node-metastasis)
classification. However, the IS only considers cell densities and overlooks the spatial localization of immune and tumor cells.
The immune system can also aid tumor growth by supporting cell proliferation and angiogenesis and dampening anti-tumor immunity.
Immature myeloid immune cells can be abnormally produced in cancer, leading to myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) accumulation.
Besides MDSCs, mature myeloid cells like macrophages are prevalent in the tumor microenvironment and affect tumor progression. Their role
is complex, with a range of pro- and anti-inflammatory states, needing multi-marker approaches for accurate assessment.
We have utilized supervised machine learning based image analysis combined with hematoxylin-eosin staining or multiplex immunohistochemistry to recognize various immune cell populations in the colorectal cancer microenvironment. We have utilized spatial analysis methods to characterize the spatial patterns of immune cell infiltrates. Our results have identified several prognostically favorable (such as T cells, M1-like macrophages, mature monocytic cells, eosinophils) and unfavorable (such as M2-like macrophages and immature monocytic cells) cell types and shown that spatial immune features also harbor prognostic relevance. Our findings pave the way for developing advanced tumor-immune biomarkers for precision medicine.
Relevant references for this talk:
- Elomaa H, Ahtiainen M, Väyrynen SA, Ogino S, Nowak JA, Lau MC, Helminen O, Wirta EV, Seppälä TT, Böhm J, Mecklin JP, Kuopio T, Väyrynen JP. Spatially resolved multimarker evaluation of CD274 (PD-L1)/PDCD1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint expression and macrophage polarisation in colorectal cancer. Br J Cancer. 2023;128:2104-2115. DOI: 10.1038/s41416-023-02238-6
- Elomaa H, Ahtiainen M, Väyrynen SA, Ogino S, Nowak JA, Friman M, Helminen O, Wirta EV, Seppälä TT, Böhm J, Mäkinen MJ, Mecklin JP, Kuopio T, Väyrynen JP. Prognostic significance of spatial and density analysis of T lymphocytes in colorectal cancer. Br J Cancer. 2022;127:514-523. DOI: 10.1038/s41416-022-01822-6
- Väyrynen JP, Haruki K, Lau MC, Väyrynen SA, Zhong R, Dias Costa A, Borowsky J, Zhao M, Fujiyoshi K, Arima K, Twombly TS, Kishikawa J, Gu S, Aminmozaffari S, Shi S, Baba Y, Akimoto N, Ugai T, Da Silva A, Guerriero JL, Song M, Wu K, Chan AT, Nishihara R, Fuchs CS, Meyerhardt JA, Giannakis M, Ogino S, Nowak JA. The Prognostic Role of Macrophage Polarization in the Colorectal Cancer Microenvironment. Cancer Immunol Res. 2021;9:8-19. DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-20-0527
- Väyrynen JP, Lau MC, Haruki K, Väyrynen SA, Dias Costa A, Borowsky J, Zhao M, Fujiyoshi K, Arima K, Twombly TS, Kishikawa J, Gu S, Aminmozaffari S, Shi S, Baba Y, Akimoto N, Ugai T, Da Silva A, Song M, Wu K, Chan AT, Nishihara R, Fuchs CS, Meyerhardt JA, Giannakis M, Ogino S, Nowak JA. Prognostic Significance of Immune Cell Populations Identified by Machine Learning in Colorectal Cancer Using Routine Hematoxylin and Eosin-Stained Sections. Clin Cancer Res. 2020;26:4326-4338. DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-0071