Expression of CD47 protein in hematolymphoid neoplasms: Implications for CD47-mediated cancer immunotherapy

Recent studies show that blocking CD47-SIRPα interactions is a promising target in checkpoint inhibition for cancer immunotherapy. However, to date, the expression of CD47 is not well characterized in various hematolymphoid neoplasms.

This study evaluates CD47 expression in a wide range of hematolymphoid neoplasms using immunohistochemistry on 834 cases.

Results show variable but widespread CD47 expression among tumor types and within individual samples in both intensity and percentage. The highest CD47 expressions in both percentage of positive lymphoma cells and intensity was seen in small B-cell lymphomas, particularly chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma, mantle cell, marginal zone, and follicular lymphomas. T and B lymphoblastic, diffuse large B-cell, peripheral T-cell, γδ T-cell, angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphomas and myelodysplastic syndrome showed moderate CD47 expression. Acute and chronic myeloid leukemia as well as classic Hodgkin, anaplastic large cell, and natural killer/T-cell lymphomas showed low expression. Burkitt lymphoma is a notable standout, with little to no CD47 expression in all 14 cases examined.

Understanding the prevalence of CD47 expression in hematolymphoid neoplasms is crucial for identifying potential therapeutic targets and selecting patients who may benefit from CD47-targeted therapies. Additionally, CD47 may serve as a valuable diagnostic marker in neoplasms such as Burkitt lymphoma.