Data from Racial Differences in the Tumor Immune Landscape and Survival of Women with High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma

<div>AbstractBackground:<p>Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) confer a survival benefit among patients with ovarian cancer; however, little work has been conducted in racially diverse cohorts.</p>Methods:<p>The current study investigated racial differences in the tumor immune landscape and survival of age- and stage-matched non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White women with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) enrolled in two population-based studies (<i>n</i> = 121 in each racial group). We measured TILs (CD3⁺), cytotoxic T cells (CD3⁺CD8⁺), regulatory T cells (CD3⁺FoxP3⁺), myeloid cells (CD11b⁺), and neutrophils (CD11b⁺CD15⁺) via multiplex immunofluorescence. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate the association between immune cell abundance and survival overall and by race.</p>Results:<p>Overall, higher levels of TILs, cytotoxic T cells, myeloid cells, and neutrophils were associated with better survival in the intratumoral and peritumoral region, irrespective of tissue compartment (tumor, stroma). Improved survival was noted for T-regulatory cells in the peritumoral region and in the stroma of the intratumoral region, but no association for intratumoral T-regulatory cells. Despite similar abundance of immune cells across racial groups, associations with survival among non-Hispanic White women were consistent with the overall findings, but among non-Hispanic Black women, most associations were attenuated and not statistically significant.</p>Conclusions:<p>Our results add to the existing evidence that a robust immune infiltrate confers a survival advantage among women with HGSOC; however, non-Hispanic Black women may not experience the same survival benefit as non-Hispanic White women with HGSOC.</p>Impact:<p>This study contributes to our understanding of the immunoepidemiology of HGSOC in diverse populations.</p></div>

Duke Scholars

Author Patricia Gripka Moorman Family Medicine and Community Health, Prevention Research

Author Jose Ramon Conejo-Garcia Integrative Immunobiology