Prognostic role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

BackgroundMyeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) is a heterogeneous population of immature myeloid cells, inhibiting both the innate and adaptive immunity. Recent studies validated that MDSCs caused immune suppression and promoted cancer progression through various mechanisms. However, the prognostic value of MDSCs in cancer remains controversial.MethodsHere, we performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of MDSCs in various types of cancer. The electric databases, such as Pubmed, Embase and Web of Science, were searched for relevant publications. Hazards ratios (HRs) with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated to evaluate the prognostic role of MDSCs in cancer.ResultsA total of 16 studies with 1864 patients were enrolled in our meta-analysis. Elevated MDSCs frequency was shown to be associated with shorter overall survival (OS) (HR = 2.46, 95%CI: 1.87–3.23), and poor disease-free survival / recurrence-free survival (DFS / RFS) (HR = 3.26, 95%CI: 2.10–5.04) after treatment. Furthermore, similar results were also observed in the stratified subgroup analysis, which included the analysis by region, sample size, cancer type, NOS scores, subtype and cut-off value of MDSCs.ConclusionHigh MDSCs might be related to poor clinical outcomes of patients with cancer, that is, MDSCs might be a potential prognostic biomarker in cancer.

Jianpi Huayu Decoction Attenuates the Immunosuppressive Status of H22 Hepatocellular Carcinoma-Bearing Mice: By Targeting Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells

“…Many antineoplastic drugs studies had shown reduced proportion of CD11b + Gr-1 + cells in tumor-bearing mice after drug treatment (Fleming et al, 2018), in addition to lenvatinib (Gunda et al, 2019) and gemcitabine (Mu et al, 2019). Frequency of CD11b + Gr-1 + cells was considered as an important factor to promote tumor progression and tumor cell resistance, and as an independent factor to evaluate the efficacy and prognosis of anti-tumor therapy (Ai et al, 2018). For comprehensive analysis, we considered that higher or lower proportion of MDSCs after antineoplastic drugs intervention still depended on the tumor type, and its direct effects on MDSCs.…”

Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Tumors: From Mechanisms to Antigen Specificity and Microenvironmental Regulation

“…As a competent accomplice in carcinogenesis and disease progression, the correlation between MDSCs and tumor burden and disease stage is well-documented. For instance, a recent meta-analysis has shown for the first time that a high level of MDSCs is associated with shorter survival outcomes in patients with solid tumors and hematologic malignancies (228). This notion has two therapeutic implications.…”

Editorial: Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells as Disease Modulators

“…In cancer, where they have been most extensively studied, MDSC can be detected early on in the malignant microenvironment (5) and increase in circulation as the tumors progress. Increases in the numbers of circulating MDSC have been associated with a decreased response to check-point immunotherapies and poor overall survival (6,7).…”