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Updated: Apr 10, 2026
In Vitro Assay to Study Tumor-macrophage Interaction
Published on: August 1, 2019
Cancers with Higher Density of Tumor-Associated Macrophages Were Associated with Poor Survival Rates
Kyong Yeun Jung1, Sun Wook Cho2, Young A Kim3
1Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea ; Department of Internal Medicine, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Background:
Macrophages are a component of a tumor's microenvironment and have various roles in tumor progression and metastasis. This study evaluated the relationships between tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) density and clinical outcomes in 14 different types of human cancers.
Methods:
We investigated TAM density in human tissue microarray sections from 14 different types of human cancers (n = 266) and normal thyroid, lung, and breast tissues (n = 22). The five-year survival rates of each cancer were obtained from the 2011 Korea Central Cancer Registry.
Results:
Among 13 human cancers, excluding thyroid cancer, pancreas, lung, and gallbladder cancers had the highest density of CD163-positive macrophages (7.0±3.5%, 6.9±7.4%, and 6.9 ± 5.5%, respectively). The five-year relative survival rates of these cancers (pancreas, 8.7%; lung, 20.7%; gallbladder, 27.5%) were lower than those of other cancers. The histological subtypes in thyroid cancer exhibited significantly different CD163-positive macrophages densities (papillary, 1.8 ± 1.6% vs anaplastic, 22.9 ± 17.1%; p < .001), but no significant difference between histological subtypes was detected in lung and breast cancers. Moreover, there was no significant difference in CD163-positive macrophages densities among the TNM stages in lung, breast, and thyroid cancers.
Conclusions:
Cancers with higher TAM densities (pancreas, lung, anaplastic thyroid, and gallbladder) were associated with poor survival rate.
Insights
High tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) density in cancers like pancreas, lung, and gallbladder correlates with poorer survival rates. This suggests TAMs are key indicators of cancer prognosis across multiple human cancer types.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Macrophages are integral to the tumor microenvironment, influencing cancer progression and metastasis.
- Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play diverse roles in cancer development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between TAM density and clinical outcomes in 14 distinct human cancer types.
- To determine if TAM density can serve as a prognostic biomarker for cancer survival.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of TAM density using CD163-positive macrophage markers in tissue microarrays from 266 human cancer samples.
- Correlation of TAM density with five-year survival rates obtained from the Korea Central Cancer Registry.
Main Results:
- Pancreatic, lung, and gallbladder cancers exhibited the highest TAM densities and lower five-year survival rates.
- Anaplastic thyroid cancer showed significantly higher TAM density compared to papillary thyroid cancer.
- No significant correlation was found between TAM density and TNM stages in lung, breast, or thyroid cancers.
Conclusions:
- Elevated TAM density in cancers such as pancreas, lung, anaplastic thyroid, and gallbladder is linked to poor patient survival.
- TAM density emerges as a potential prognostic indicator for various human cancers.
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