Spatial characterization and quantification of CD40 expression across cancer types

CD40, a TNF receptor family member, is expressed by a variety of immune cells and is involved in the activation of both adaptive and innate immune responses. Here, we used quantitative immunofluorescence (QIF) to evaluate CD40 expression on the tumor epithelium of solid tumors in large patient cohorts of lung, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers.

Tissue samples from nine different solid tumors (bladder, breast, colon, gastric, head and neck, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ovarian, pancreatic and renal cell carcinoma), constructed in tissue microarray format, were initially assessed for CD40 expression by QIF. CD40 expression was then evaluated on the large available patient cohorts for three of the tumor types demonstrating high CD40 positivity rate; NSCLC, ovarian and pancreatic cancer. The prognostic impact of CD40 expression on tumor cells was also investigated.

CD40 expression on tumor cells was found to be common, with 80% of the NSCLC population, 40% of the ovarian cancer population, and 68% of the pancreatic adenocarcinoma population displaying some degree of CD40 expression on cancer cells. All of three of these cancer types displayed considerable intra-tumoral heterogeneity of CD40 expression, as well as partial correlation between expression of CD40 on tumor cells and on surrounding stromal cells. CD40 was not found to be prognostic for overall survival in NSCLC, ovarian cancer, or pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

The high percentage of tumor cells expressing CD40 in each of these solid tumors should be considered in the development of therapeutic agents designed to target CD40.