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Unraveling tumor-immune heterogeneity in advanced ovarian cancer uncovers immunogenic effect of chemotherapy.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

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Authors

Jiménez-Sánchez, Alejandro  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1879-7057
Cybulska, Paulina 
Mager, Katherine LaVigne 

Abstract

In metastatic cancer, the degree of heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and its molecular underpinnings remain largely unstudied. To characterize the tumor-immune interface at baseline and during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), we performed immunogenomic analysis of treatment-naive and paired samples from before and after treatment with chemotherapy. In treatment-naive HGSOC, we found that immune-cell-excluded and inflammatory microenvironments coexist within the same individuals and within the same tumor sites, indicating ubiquitous variability in immune cell infiltration. Analysis of TME cell composition, DNA copy number, mutations and gene expression showed that immune cell exclusion was associated with amplification of Myc target genes and increased expression of canonical Wnt signaling in treatment-naive HGSOC. Following NACT, increased natural killer (NK) cell infiltration and oligoclonal expansion of T cells were detected. We demonstrate that the tumor-immune microenvironment of advanced HGSOC is intrinsically heterogeneous and that chemotherapy induces local immune activation, suggesting that chemotherapy can potentiate the immunogenicity of immune-excluded HGSOC tumors.

Description

Keywords

Animals, Cisplatin, Cohort Studies, Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous, DNA Copy Number Variations, Female, Gene Expression Profiling, Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic, Genes, myc, Humans, Killer Cells, Natural, Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating, Mice, Mutation, Ovarian Neoplasms, Principal Component Analysis, Tumor Microenvironment, Wnt Signaling Pathway

Journal Title

Nat Genet

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1061-4036
1546-1718

Volume Title

52

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sponsorship
Cancer Research UK (C14303/A17197)
Target Ovarian Cancer (Cambridge-MM18)
Cancer Research UK (22905)
Cancer Research UK (15973)
Cancer Research UK (C96/A25177)
Cancer Research UK (19274)
Cancer Research UK (15601)
Cancer Research UK (28290)
Cancer Research UK (21141)
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