Prognostic value of CD163+ macrophages in solid tumor malignancies: A scoping review
Henriette Mathiesen, Kristian Juul‐Madsen, Trine Tramm, Thomas Vorup‐Jensen, Holger Jon Møller, Anders Etzerodt, Morten Nørgaard Andersen
Abstract
• CD163 + macrophages perform pro-tumorigenic functions in the tumor microenvironment. • Survival data on CD163 in five solid malignancies was extracted from 157 studies. • A high number of CD163 + macrophages was most often associated with poor outcome. • The spatial localization of CD163 + macrophages in tumors may have prognostic impact. • CD163 + macrophages may serve as both prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play crucial roles in development and progression of malignant diseases. Notably, CD163 + TAMs likely perform specific pro-tumorigenic functions, suggesting that this subset may serve as both prognostic biomarkers and targets for future anti-cancer therapy. We conducted a scoping review to map the current knowledge on the prognostic role of CD163 + TAMs in the five most lethal cancers worldwide: Lung, colorectal, gastric, liver, and breast cancer. For all cancer types, most studies showed that high tumoral presence of CD163 + cells was associated with poor patient outcome, and this association was more frequently observed when CD163 + cells were measured at the tumor periphery compared to more central parts of the tumor. These results support that CD163 + TAMs represent a biomarker of poor patient outcome across a variety of solid tumors, and highlight the relevance of further investigations of CD163 + TAMs as targets of future immunotherapies.