ArticleBMC cancer2012
The presence of tumor associated macrophages in tumor stroma as a prognostic marker for breast cancer patients.
Article in BMC cancer, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 397 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
397 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 656 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Prognostic and Clinical Value of Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Patients With Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Pooled it
- Associations between tumor immune response and prognosis in node-negative breast cancer patients in the randomized DBCG HYPO trial.BMC cancer · 2026Trial
- SARC028 Samples Reveal an Interplay between TGF-β, IFN Signaling, and Low HLA Class I Expression as Contributors to Ewing Sarcoma Checkpoint Blockade Resistance.Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2025Trial
- Macrophage-supported metabolic adaptation drives tumor survival under nutrient stress.Science advances · 2026Article
- Democratized single-cell proteomics resolves cell state heterogeneity in skin tumors.Life science alliance · 2026Article
- Immune Cell Composition and Prognosis in Node-Positive, Irradiated Breast Cancer Patients in the DBCG-IMN2 Study.APMIS : acta pathologica, microbiologica, et immunologica Scandinavica · 2026Article
- Glucocorticoids induce a phagocytic C1Q+ macrophage phenotype primed for IFNγ-dependent CXCL9 secretion.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Stromal-based proteome data improve stratification of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.NPJ breast cancer · 2026Article
- LifelongNutrients · 2026Article
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- CD155 Expression in Invasive Breast Carcinoma: Association with Immune Tumor Microenvironment.Iranian journal of pathology · 2026Article
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- Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans (HSPGs) and Their Degradation in Health and Disease.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- Ageing, immune fitness and cancer.Nature reviews. Cancer · 2025Review
- Inside the Tumor: Decoding the Feline Mammary Tumor Microenvironment and Its Prognostic Value-A Review.Veterinary sciences · 2025Review
- LAG3+ CD8+ T cell subset drives HR+/HER2- breast cancer reduction in bispecific antibody armed activated T cell therapy.Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) · 2025Article
- Anti-cancer effects of genistein supplementation and moderate-intensity exercise in high-fat diet-induced breast cancer via regulation of inflammation and adipose tissue metabolism in vivo and in vitro.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Article
- Prognostic Significance of Macrophage Phenotypes in Peri-Tumoral Normal Tissue of Early-Stage Breast Cancer.Cells · 2025Article
- Lipid metabolic reprograming: the unsung hero in breast cancer progression and tumor microenvironment.Molecular cancer · 2025Review
- Prediction of post-treatment recurrence in early-stage breast cancer using deep-learning with mid-infrared chemical histopathological imaging.NPJ precision oncology · 2025Article
337 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTumor associated macrophages (TAMs) are alternatively activated macrophages that enhance tumor progression by promoting tumor cell invasion, migration and angiogenesis. TAMs have an anti-inflammatory function resembling M2 macrophages. CD163 is regarded as a highly specific monocyte/macrophage marker for M2 macrophages. In this study we evaluated the specificity of using the M2 macrophage marker CD163 as a TAM marker and compared its prognostic value with the more frequently used pan-macrophage marker CD68. We also analyzed the prognostic value of the localization of CD163(+) and CD68(+) myeloid cells in human breast cancer.
methodsThe extent of infiltrating CD163(+) or CD68(+) myeloid cells in tumor nest versus tumor stroma was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in tissue microarrays with tumors from 144 breast cancer cases. Spearman's Rho and χ(2) tests were used to examine the correlations between CD163(+) or CD68(+) myeloid cells and clinicopathological parameters. Kaplan Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards modeling were used to assess the impact of CD163(+) and CD68(+) myeloid cells in tumor stroma and tumor nest, respectively, on recurrence free survival, breast cancer specific and overall survival.
resultsWe found that infiltration of CD163(+) and CD68(+) macrophages into tumor stroma, but not into tumor nest, were of clinical relevance. CD163(+) macrophages in tumor stroma positively correlated with higher grade, larger tumor size, Ki67 positivity, estrogen receptor negativity, progesterone receptor negativity, triple-negative/basal-like breast cancer and inversely correlated with luminal A breast cancer. Some CD163(+) areas lacked CD68 expression, suggesting that CD163 could be used as a general anti-inflammatory myeloid marker with prognostic impact. CD68(+) macrophages in tumor stroma positively correlated to tumor size and inversely correlated to luminal A breast cancer. More importantly, CD68 in tumor stroma was an independent prognostic factor for reduced breast cancer specific survival.
conclusionThese findings highlight the importance of analyzing the localization rather than merely the presence of TAMs as a prognostic marker for breast cancer patients.
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