Immune landscape of the tumour microenvironment in Ethiopian breast cancer patients

Meron Yohannes ^1,2,3, Zelalem Desalegn ^1,3, Marcus Bauer ^3,4

¹Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
²Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
³Global and Planetary Health Working Group, Institute of Medical Epidemiology, Biometrics and Informatics, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
⁴Institute of Pathology, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
⁵University Clinic and Polyclinic for Gynecology, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
⁶Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁷Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁸Department of Oncology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁹Aira Hospital, Aira, Ethiopia.
¹⁰School of Medicine, Wollo University, Wollo, Ethiopia.
¹¹City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA.
¹²School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
¹³Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
¹⁴Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Leipzig, Germany.
¹⁵Medical School Theodor Fontane, Faculty of Health Research Institute for Translational Immunology, Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany.
¹⁶Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. tamrat.abebe@aau.edu.et.
¹⁷Global and Planetary Health Working Group, Institute of Medical Epidemiology, Biometrics and Informatics, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany. tamrat.abebe@aau.edu.et.

⁰Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Breast Cancer Research : Bcr +

|

November 26, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This study identified four immune phenotypes in Ethiopian breast cancer patients, revealing distinct tumor immune microenvironments (TIME). An active TIME correlated with improved survival, suggesting potential for targeted therapies.

Area Of Science

Oncology
Immunology
Genomics

Background

Current breast cancer (BC) management relies on receptor expression, but novel prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers are needed.
The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) significantly influences BC prognosis and treatment selection.
This study focuses on characterizing the TIME in Ethiopian BC patients.

Purpose Of The Study

To describe the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in Ethiopian breast cancer (BC) patients.
To identify distinct immune phenotypes within BC tumors.
To assess the prognostic relevance of identified immune phenotypes.

Main Methods

Analyzed RNA from 82 BC tissues using Nanostring for PAM50 and 54 immune genes.
Determined differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and estimated cell populations using ROSALIND® and Nanostring modules.
Assessed tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) via H&E staining and genotyped PIK3CA mutations using qPCR.

Main Results

Identified four immune phenotypes (IP1-4) based on immune gene expression, showing variations in immune activation and infiltration.
IP2 exhibited suppressed immune activity and fewer infiltrating cells, associated with luminal tumors.
IP4 demonstrated an active TIME with high cytotoxic gene expression and immune cell density, correlating with improved overall survival.

Conclusions

Immune gene expression profiling revealed four distinct TIME contextures in Ethiopian BC patients.
These immune subgroups possess unique gene expression patterns and immune infiltration levels.
Classification into immune subgroups offers prognostic information and aids in selecting patients for conventional or immunotherapies.

Keywords:

Breast cancer Ethiopia Immune phenotypes PAM50 Tumour immune microenvironment

Related Concept Videos

The Tumor Microenvironment

Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...