Peripheral immune cells in metastatic breast cancer patients display a systemic immunosuppressed signature consistent with chronic inflammation

Abstract

Immunotherapies blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint show some efficacy in metastatic breast cancer (mBC) but are often hindered by immunosuppressive mechanisms. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for personalized treatments, with peripheral blood monitoring representing a practical alternative to repeated biopsies. In the present study, we performed a comprehensive mass cytometry analysis of peripheral blood immune cells in 104 patients with HER2 negative mBC and 20 healthy donors (HD). We found that mBC patients had significantly elevated monocyte levels and reduced levels of CD4+ T cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells, when compared to HD. Furthermore, mBC patients had more effector T cells and regulatory T cells, increased expression of immune checkpoints and other activation/exhaustion markers, and a shift to a Th2/Th17 phenotype. Furthermore, T-cell phenotypes identified by mass cytometry correlated with functionality as assessed by IFN-γ production. Additional analysis indicated that previous chemotherapy and CDK4/6 inhibition impacted the numbers and phenotype of immune cells. From 63 of the patients, fresh tumor samples were analyzed by flow cytometry. Paired PBMC-tumor analysis showed moderate correlations between peripheral CD4+ T and NK cells with their counterparts in tumors. Further, a CD4+ T cell cluster in PBMCs, that co-expressed multiple checkpoint receptors, was negatively associated with CD4+ T cell tumor infiltration. In conclusion, the identified systemic immune signatures indicate an immune-suppressed environment in mBC patients who had progressed/relapsed on standard treatments, and is consistent with ongoing chronic inflammation. These activated immuno-suppressive mechanisms may be investigated as therapeutic targets, and for use as biomarkers of response or treatment resistance.