Stratification of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: Combinatorial genetic, stromal, and immunologic markers Journal Article


Authors: Knudsen, E. S.; Vail, P.; Balaji, U.; Ngo, H.; Botros, I. W.; Makarov, V.; Riaz, N.; Balachandran, V.; Leach, S.; Thompson, D. M.; Chan, T. A.; Witkiewicz, A. K.
Article Title: Stratification of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: Combinatorial genetic, stromal, and immunologic markers
Abstract: Purpose: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is associated with an immunosuppressive milieu that supports immune system evasion and disease progression. Here, we interrogated genetic, stromal, and immunologic features of PDAC to delineate impact on prognosis and means to more effectively employ immunotherapy. Experimental Design: A cohort of 109 PDAC cases annotated for overall survival was utilized as a primary discovery cohort. Gene expression analysis defined immunologic subtypes of PDAC that were confirmed in the Cancer Genome Atlas dataset. Stromal and metabolic characteristics of PDAC cases were evaluated by histologic analysis and immunostaining. Enumeration of lymphocytes, as well as staining for CD8, FOXP3, CD68, CD163, PDL1, and CTLA4 characterized immune infiltrate. Neoantigens were determined by analysis of whole-exome sequencing data. Random-forest clustering was employed to define multimarker subtypes, with univariate and multivariate analyses interrogating prognostic significance. Results: PDAC cases exhibited distinct stromal phenotypes that were associated with prognosis, glycolytic and hypoxic biomarkers, and immune infiltrate composition. Immune infiltrate was diverse among PDAC cases and enrichment for M2 macrophages and select immune checkpoints regulators were specifically associated with survival. Composite analysis with neoantigen burden, immunologic, and stromal features defined novel subtypes of PDAC that could have bearing on sensitivity to immunologic therapy approaches. In addition, a subtype with low levels of neoantigens and minimal lymphocyte infiltrate was associated with improved overall survival. Conclusions: The mutational burden of PDAC is associated with distinct immunosuppressive mechanisms that are conditioned by the tumor stromal environment. The defined subtypes have significance for utilizing immunotherapy in the treatment of PDAC. (C) 2017 AACR.
Keywords: microenvironment; macrophages; breast-cancer; cancer-immunotherapy; tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes; t-cells; poor-prognosis; prognostic value; tnf-alpha; nk cells
Journal Title: Clinical Cancer Research
Volume: 23
Issue: 15
ISSN: 1078-0432
Publisher: American Association for Cancer Research  
Date Published: 2017-08-01
Start Page: 4429
End Page: 4440
Language: English
ACCESSION: WOS:000406680300046
DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-17-0162
PROVIDER: wos
PUBMED: 28348045
PMCID: PMC5951386
Notes: Article -- Source: Wos
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  1. Timothy Chan
    317 Chan
  2. Nadeem Riaz
    415 Riaz
  3. Vladimir Makarov
    57 Makarov
  4. Steven Leach
    37 Leach