Role of macrophages in uveal melanoma

Tumor-associated macrophages have been related to a worse prognosis for survival in several tumors, among them uveal melanoma. In particular for proangiogenic and anti-inflammatory M2-type macrophages, a contributory role to tumor growth has been described. This study demonstrated that most tumor-associated macrophages in uveal melanoma exhibited the M2-phenotype. Tumors with monosomy 3 that have an unfavorable prognosis exhibited significantly more M2-type macrophages than tumors with disomy of chromosome 3. These findings point to a possible pathophysiologic mechanism that links an inflammatory phenotype in uveal melanoma with structural chromosomal abnormalities such as monosomy 3.