High PTX3 expression is associated with a poor prognosis in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Oncology
• Pathology

Background:

• Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are linked to poor prognosis in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
• Macrophage heterogeneity and polarization in DLBCL require further investigation for their pathological roles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the tumor microenvironment in DLBCL, focusing on macrophage infiltration and immune cell polarization.
• To identify novel prognostic biomarkers for DLBCL, particularly related to immune cell subsets.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze macrophage and T cell infiltration in a training set (132 cases) and validation set (159 cases) of DLBCL.
• Gene expression profiling was performed on a subset of cases to analyze immune-related pathways.
• Statistical analyses, including multivariate analysis, were conducted to determine prognostic relevance.

Main Results:

• High infiltration of CD163 and pentraxin 3 (PTX3)-positive macrophages (M2c-like) and low infiltration of FOXP3-positive regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) correlated with poor DLBCL survival.
• PTX3 was identified as a significant independent prognostic variable in multivariate analysis.
• Gene expression analysis in high PTX3 cases revealed upregulation of immune response and macrophage-related pathways.

Conclusions:

• High infiltration of M2c-like macrophages and low infiltration of Tregs are associated with a poor prognosis in DLBCL.
• Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a novel and significant prognostic biomarker for DLBCL, reflecting immune microenvironment alterations.