A study on the correlation between plasmacytoid dendritic cells and lymph node metastasis in advanced gastric cancer
10.19401/j.cnki.1007-3639.2025.08.008
- VernacularTitle:浆细胞样树突状细胞与进展期胃癌淋巴结转移的相关性研究
- Author:
Zhanwei CHEN
1
;
Yaoqiang WU
1
;
Yanping WANG
1
;
Dejian ZHANG
1
;
Fuxiang YU
1
Author Information
1. 丹东市第一医院普外一科,辽宁 丹东 118000
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Plasmacytoid dendritic cell;
CD123;
Advanced gastric cancer;
Lymph node metastasis;
pTNM staging
- From:
China Oncology
2025;35(8):792-798
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Background and purpose:Plasmacytoid dendritic cells are one of the key immune cells in the tumor microenvironment(TME),which can directly or indirectly regulate tumor related immune responses and play multiple roles in the development and metastasis of tumors.This study aimed to investigate the correlation between plasmacytoid dendritic cells in lymph nodes and lymph node metastasis in patients with advanced gastric cancer.Methods:Postoperative lymph node tissue specimens and clinicopathological data from advanced gastric cancer patients who underwent D2 radical surgery in the Department of General Surgery at the First Hospital of Dandong were gathered from January 2019 to December 2023.The lymph nodes were grouped based on pTNM staging and the diameter of metastatic lesions.This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Dandong First Hospital(No.DDSDYYY-LLSC-2025-02-18-019-01),and all patients signed informed consents.Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression levels of CD123-positive plasmacytoid dendritic cells in different lymph node groups,and their correlation with lymph node metastasis in advanced gastric cancer was further analyzed.Results:Of the 116 patients,plasmacytoid dendritic cells infiltrate the lymph node tissues of gastric cancer patients.As tumor differentiation decreased and pT stage,pathological stage,lymphatic/vascular invasion,and perineural invasion increased,the mean number of CD123-positive pDC in metastatic lymph nodes rose significantly(P＜0.05).The number of CD123-positive plasmacytoid dendritic cells was higher in metastatic lymph node-positive tissues than in metastatic lymph node-negative tissues,the number was higher in the macrometastasis group of pN1-3 staging than in the micrometastasis group,and the number was higher in the non-metastatic lymph node group of pN1-3 staging than in the pN0 staging lymph node group(P＜0.05).In lymph node metastasis-positive cases,the number of CD123-positive plasmacytoid dendritic cells was higher in second-station lymph nodes than in first-station lymph nodes(P＜0.05).Conclusion:The infiltration of CD123-positive plasmacytoid dendritic cells in lymph nodes of patients with advanced gastric cancer is closely associated with lymph node metastasis and may serve as a prerequisite for metastatic spread.Understanding the distribution of CD123-positive plasmacytoid dendritic cells in gastric cancer lymph nodes can help further explore their role in the immune microenvironment of gastric cancer.Targeted therapy focusing on CD123-positive plasmacytoid dendritic cells may become a new strategy for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer.
