Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is a key element in the breast tumor microenvironment. CD163 and CD206 have been utilized for TAM identification, but the clinical implications of TAMs identified by these markers have not been thoroughly explored. This study conducted a comparative analysis of CD163 and CD206 TAMs using digital image analysis, focusing on their spatial distribution and prognostic significance in relation to tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Distinct clinico-pathological and prognostic characteristics were noted between the two types of TAMs. CD163 TAMs were linked to high-grade tumors (p= 0.006), whereas CD206 TAMs were associated with a higher incidence of nodal metastasis (p= 0.033). CD206 TAMs were predominantly found in the stroma, with more cases being stromal CD206-high (sCD206-high) than tumoral CD206-high (tCD206-high) (p= 0.024). Regarding prognostication, patients stratified according to stromal and tumoral densities of CD163 showed different disease-free survival (DFS) time. Specifically, those that were sCD163-low but tCD163-high exhibited the poorest DFS (chi-square = 10.853,p= 0.013). Furthermore, a high sCD163-to-stromal-TILs ratio was identified as an independent predictor of unfavorable survival outcomes (DFS: HR = 3.477,p= 0.018). The spatial distribution and interactions with TILs enhanced the prognostic value of CD163 TAMs, while CD206 TAMs appeared to have limited prognostic utility in breast cancer cases.
肿瘤相关巨噬细胞是乳腺肿瘤微环境中的关键组分。CD163和CD206已被用于TAM的鉴定，但基于这些标志物识别的TAM的临床意义尚未得到深入探讨。本研究采用数字图像分析技术对CD163和CD206 TAM进行比较分析，重点关注其空间分布特征以及与肿瘤浸润淋巴细胞相关的预后价值。研究发现两种TAM类型具有不同的临床病理特征和预后意义：CD163 TAM与高级别肿瘤相关（p=0.006），而CD206 TAM则与更高的淋巴结转移发生率相关（p=0.033）。CD206 TAM主要分布于间质区域，间质CD206高表达病例数显著多于肿瘤区域CD206高表达病例（p=0.024）。在预后评估方面，根据CD163在间质和肿瘤区域密度的分层分析显示，不同组别患者的无病生存期存在显著差异。具体而言，间质CD163低表达而肿瘤区域CD163高表达的患者表现出最差的无病生存期（卡方值=10.853，p=0.013）。此外，高间质CD163与间质TILs比值被确定为不良生存结局的独立预测因子（无病生存期：风险比=3.477，p=0.018）。空间分布特征及其与TILs的相互作用增强了CD163 TAM的预后评估价值，而CD206 TAM在乳腺癌病例中的预后效用较为有限。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家