Penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is a rare and deadly malignancy. Therapeutic advances have been stifled by a poor understanding of disease biology. Specifically, the immune microenvironment is an underexplored component in PSCC and the activity of immune checkpoint inhibitors observed in a subset of patients suggests immune escape may play an important role in tumorigenesis. Herein, we explored for the first time the immune microenvironment of 57 men with PSCC and how it varies with the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and across tumor stages using multiplex immunofluorescence of key immune cell markers. We observed an increase in the density of immune effector cells in node-negative tumors and a progressive rise in inhibitory immune players such as type 2 macrophages and upregulation of the PD-L1 checkpoint in men with N1 and N2-3 disease. There were no differences in immune cell densities with HPV status.
阴茎鳞状细胞癌（PSCC）是一种罕见且致命的恶性肿瘤。由于对该疾病生物学机制的理解不足，其治疗进展受到限制。具体而言，免疫微环境是PSCC中尚未充分探索的组成部分，而在部分患者中观察到的免疫检查点抑制剂的活性表明，免疫逃逸可能在肿瘤发生中发挥重要作用。本研究首次通过多重免疫荧光技术对57例PSCC患者的关键免疫细胞标志物进行分析，探讨了其免疫微环境特征，并分析了其与人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）感染状态及肿瘤分期的关系。我们观察到，在淋巴结阴性肿瘤中免疫效应细胞密度增加，而在N1及N2-3期患者中，抑制性免疫细胞（如2型巨噬细胞）逐渐增多，且PD-L1检查点表达上调。不同HPV感染状态下的免疫细胞密度未见显著差异。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家