Selective elimination of CD169+macrophages in lymph nodes invaded by breast cancers

Abstract

AbstractBreast cancer cells suppress the host immune system to efficiently invade the lymph nodes; however, the underlying mechanism remains incompletely understood. Here, we report that metastasized breast cancer cells selectively eliminate CD169+lymph node sinus macrophages, an initiator of anti-cancer immunity, from the lymph nodes. The comparison between paired lymph nodes with and without metastasis from the same patients demonstrated that the number of CD169+macrophages was reduced in metastatic lymph nodes, whereas the numbers of other major immune cell types were unaltered. We also detected the infiltration of CD169+macrophages into metastasized cancer tissues depending on sections, suggesting that CD169+macrophages were gradually eliminated after anti-cancer reactions. Furthermore, CD169+macrophage elimination was prevalent in major breast cancer subtypes and correlated with breast cancer staging. Collectively, we propose that metastasized breast cancer cells dispel CD169+macrophages from lymph nodes in a phased manner, disabling a critical step of anti-cancer immunity.