THE RATIO OF CD-68⁺ AND CD-163⁺ MACROPHAGES IN ENDOMETRIAL ENDOMETRIOID CARCINOMA

Nesina I.P.¹, Iurchenko N.P.¹, Movchan O.M.², Glushchenko N.M.¹, Buchynska L.G.¹

• ¹R.E. Kavetsky Institute of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology NAS of Ukraine
• ²National Cancer Institute of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine

Aim: to evaluate the localization and content of CD163+ and CD68+ macrophages in endometrial endometrioid carcinoma (EEC) considering the clinicopathological characteristics of tumor progression. Object and methods: surgical samples of 65 patients with I–II stage endometrial cancer aged from 32 to 78 years (average age 58.3±1.9 years). Methods: clinical, morphological, immunohistochemical. Results: the heterogeneity of CD68+ and CD163+ macrophage subpopulations in the EEC was detected both in the tumor niche and in stromal microenvironment. It was shown that the expression of estrogen receptor α (71.9±5.6%) and the cell proliferation marker Ki-67 (55.3±4.6%) increases in the stromal component of EEC with a high content of CD163+ macrophages compared to the expression of these biomolecular markers (respectively 43.4±4.2 and 38.0±3.4%, p <0.05) in EEC with the low content of CD163+ macrophages. The ratio of stromal CD163+-/CD68+-macrophages in the poorly differentiated EEC or in the tumor with deep myometrial invasion or with the high microvessel density was 2.6, 3.5, and 3.5, respectively. This ratio was smaller in EEC with a lower malignant potential (G2-tumors, tumor invasion <1/2 of myometrium, low high microvessel density) — 1.8, 1.4, and 1.7. Conclusions: an increase in the content of CD163+-macrophages with a simultaneous decrease in the number of CD68+-macrophages in the stromal component of EEC is associated with such indicators of neoplasm progression as a low degree of differentiation, deep myometrial invasion, high proliferative and angiogenic potential. The obtained results should be considered when choosing the treatment strategy for endometrial cancer patients depending on the polarization of macrophages.