Multinucleated Giant Cells in Human Pancreatic Cancer Are a Distinct Macrophage Population Undergoing a DNA Damage Response and Associated with an Aggressive Tumor Microenvironment
Macrophages (Mϕ) constitute a dominant and functionally diverse immune population within the microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), yet how Mϕ heterogeneity contributes to the tumor remains poorly defined.
Multinucleated Giant Cells (MGCs) of macrophage origin were identified in the microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). These MGCs are enriched in squamous, non‑glandular regions, more frequent after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and exhibit a distinct transcriptional program lacking canonical macrophage polarization markers. They are associated with hypoxia, extracellular matrix remodeling, and DNA damage signaling, and correlate with poorer overall survival in PDAC patients.
The discovery of a novel macrophage subset in PDAC provides a potential biomarker for aggressive disease and offers new avenues for therapeutic targeting of the tumor microenvironment.
Evidence level: Számítógépes vagy elméleti. Modellből vagy adatbányászatból származó jel.
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