The Prognostic Value of Histological Tumor Necrosis in Solid Organ Malignant Disease: A Systematic Review

Abstract

There is now a substantial body of evidence confirming the prognostic value of tumor necrosis in solid organ malignant disease. There are consistent associations between necrosis and the presence of other high-risk tumor characteristics but the survival impact appears to be independent of pathological stage. We propose that relationships with the host inflammatory response, both local and systemic, may explain the influence of tumor necrosis on cancer outcome.

Ionic immune suppression within the tumour microenvironment limits T cell effector function

“…Tumours contain areas of cellular necrosis, which is associated with poor survival in a variety of cancers2. Here, we show that necrosis releases an intracellular ion, potassium, into the extracellular fluid of mouse and human tumours causing profound suppression of T cell effector function.…”

“…These factors cause dense areas of cellular apoptosis and necrosis 2. Tumour necrosis is frequently associated with a poor prognosis2, an observation thought to be an epiphenomenon of aggressive underlying cancer biology.…”

“…These factors cause dense areas of cellular apoptosis and necrosis 2. Tumour necrosis is frequently associated with a poor prognosis2, an observation thought to be an epiphenomenon of aggressive underlying cancer biology. However, cellular necrosis is also known to alter the extracellular milieu and has been associated with the release of intracellular ions7 8.…”

The recent progress of the mechanism and regulation of tumor necrosis in colorectal cancer

“…It has been reported that necrosis in colorectal cancer (Richards et al 2012) and other tumors (Carlomagno et al 1995;Sengupta et al 2005) is associated with an upregulated systemic inflammatory response and decreased local inflammatory response (Richards et al 2011). Moreover, recent studies have confirmed that local inflammation was associated with higher survival , while systemic inflammatory response is regarded as a marker to predict poor outcome in colorectal cancer.…”

Mechanisms of coagulative necrosis in malignant epithelial tumors (Review)

“…Recent studies have shown that tumor necrosis (TN) influences metastasis-free survival in patients exhibiting neoplasms (1,2). In particular, TN has been reported to indicate poor prognosis in lung (3), breast (4,5), thyroid (6), colorectal (7,8), pancreatic (9) and renal (10–16) malignancies.…”