METHODS: Postoperative tissue specimens and clinical data were collected from 197 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent initial surgical treatment in The Second Ward of Colorectal Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University from March 2020 to December 2020. Immunohistochemical methods were used to detect the expression levels of CD163 protein-labeled M2 macrophages and Foxp3 protein-labeled Tregs in colorectal cancer tissues, matched paracancer tissues, and lymph node tissues. The correlation between CD163 and Foxp3 in cancer tissues and lymph node tissues were analyzed, as well as the relationship between clinicopathological characteristics and preoperative tumor markers.
RESULTS: M2 macrophages and Tregs were importantly positively correlated in cancer and lymph node tissues, which significantly increased in cancer and metastatic lymph node tissues. Interestingly, M2 macrophages in non-metastatic lymph nodes also increased significantly in patients with metastatic lymph nodes. In addition, both CD163 and Foxp3 were upregulated with increasing tumor node metastasis stage, depth of infiltration, and lymphatic metastasis; and both were positively correlated with carcinoembryonic antigen.
CONCLUSIONS: CD163 may be a good predictor of pre-metastatic status of colorectal cancer lymph nodes. carcinoembryonic antigen affects the distribution of M2 macrophages and Tregs in colorectal cancer. There is a certain correlation between the two types of cells. It is possible that M2 macrophages, together with suppressor Tregs cells, promote an immunosuppressive environment.
方法:收集2020年3月至2020年12月在锦州医科大学附属第一医院结直肠外科第二病区初次手术治疗的197例结直肠癌患者的术后组织标本及临床资料。免疫组织化学方法检测CD163蛋白标记的M2巨噬细胞和Foxp3蛋白标记的Tregs在结直肠癌组织中的表达水平。匹配的癌旁组织,和淋巴结组织。分析CD163和Foxp3在癌组织和淋巴结组织中的相关性,以及临床病理特征与术前肿瘤标志物的关系。
结果:M2巨噬细胞和Tregs在癌组织和淋巴结组织中呈显著正相关,在癌症和转移性淋巴结组织中显著增加。有趣的是,在转移性淋巴结患者中,非转移性淋巴结中的M2巨噬细胞也显着增加。此外,CD163和Foxp3均随着肿瘤淋巴结转移分期的增加而上调,浸润深度,和淋巴转移;两者都与癌胚抗原呈正相关。
结论:CD163可能是大肠癌淋巴结转移前状态的良好预测因子。癌胚抗原影响M2巨噬细胞和Tregs在大肠癌中的分布。这两类细胞之间存在着一定的相关性。可能是M2巨噬细胞,连同抑制性Tregs细胞,促进免疫抑制环境。