Vascularity of nongynecological leiomyosarcoma depends on colony-stimulating factor 1 but not on vascular endothelial growth factor.

摘要

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) orchestrate various aspects of cancer progression, including the promotion of tumor angiogenesis independent of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling. Thus, macrophage-targeted therapy, such as colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) blockade, represents a promising anticancer strategy. However, the role of macrophages varies according to the type of cancer. Therefore, it is important to know whether and to what degree specific tumors depend on macrophage-driven angiogenesis. In this issue of The American Journal of Pathology, Espinosa et al investigated 149 cases of leiomyosarcoma (LMS), a malignant neoplasm of smooth muscle. They report that the number of macrophages and the levels of CSF1 expression highly correlated with microvessel density and poor prognosis in nongynecological LMS cases. Notably, the microvessel density of these tumors showed either no correlation or negative correlation to VEGF-A. These data provide a rationale for CSF1 targeted therapies in nongynecological LMS, validating the use of CSF1 inhibitors, rather than VEGF blockers, for suppression of tumor angiogenesis in certain types of tumors.