Comparative analyses of immune cells and alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive cells under the immunological microenvironment between with and without dense fibrosis in primary central nervous system lymphoma
Histopathologic examinations of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) reveal concentric accumulation of lymphocytes in the perivascular area with fibrosis. However, the nature of this fibrosis in "stiff" PCNSL remains unclear. We have encountered some PCNSLs with hard masses as surgical findings. This study investigated the dense fibrous status and tumor microenvironment of PCNSLs with or without stiffness. We evaluated by silver-impregnation nine PCNSLs with stiffness and 26 PCNSLs without stiffness. Six of the nine stiff PCNSLs showed pathological features of prominent fibrosis characterized by aggregation of reticulin fibers, and collagen accumulations. Alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA)-positive spindle cells as a cancer-associated fibroblast, the populations of T lymphocytes, and macrophages were compared between fibrous and control PCNSLs. Fibrous PCNSLs included abundant αSMA-positive cells in both intra- and extra-tumor environments (5/6, 87% and 3/6, 50%, respectively). Conversely, only one out of the seven control PCNSL contained αSMA-positive cells in the intra-tumoral area. Furthermore, the presence of extra-tumoral αSMA-positive cells was associated with infiltration of T lymphocytes and macrophages. In conclusion, recognizing the presence of dense fibrosis in PCNSL can provide insights into the tumor microenvironment. These results may help stratify patients with PCNSL and improve immunotherapies for these patients.
Authors
- Eiichi Ishikawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9224-9767)
- Tomoya Suzuki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7042-2116)
- Noriaki Sakamoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6573-6463)
- Akihiko Teshigawara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4219-4638)
- Ai Muroi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4983-6306)
- Kyoichi Tomoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7500-3850)
- Ryoko Fukushima
- Shohei Nawate
- Nei Fukasawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1942-3586)
- Satoshi Matsushima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9940-5205)
- Masayuki Shimoda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0338-0008)
- Yuichi Murayama (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3490-385X)
- Kaichi Nishiwaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2188-1241)
- Misayo Miyake (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6612-4183)
- Toshihide Tanaka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6474-6317)
- Jun Takei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3879-9252)
- Miku Maeda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5073-0672)
- Takao Tsurubuchi
- Shingo Yano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5895-5382)
- Ryosuke Mori (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4213-5080)
- Yuzuru Hasegawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9252-4191)
- Hiroyoshi Kino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6179-6362)
- Hiroyasu Nagashima
- Yohei Yamamoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9838-3211)
- Yasuharu Akasaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8015-084X)
- M. Kawashima
Institutions
- Jikei University School of Medicine (JP)
- University of Tsukuba (JP)
- Katsushika Medical Center (JP)
- The Jikei University Hospital (JP)
- Jikei University Kashiwa hospital (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Brain Tumor Pathology
- Published
- 2024-08-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10014-024-00488-7
- Primary Topic
- CNS Lymphoma Diagnosis and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science London
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science