Cellular Deconvolution Reveals Unique Findings in Several Cell Type Fractions Within the Basal Cell Carcinoma Tumor Microenvironment
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Keywords
Cellular deconvolution, basal cell carcinoma, tumor microenvironment, infiltrate, in silico
Abstract
Introduction: Despite therapeutic advancements, locally advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinomas continue to carry poor prognoses and high recurrence rates. Current treatment options remain suboptimal due to limited efficacy and associated adverse events. The objectives of this study are to 1) characterize the basal cell carcinoma immune cell microenvironment and 2) identify novel therapeutic targets.
Methods: Transcriptome data representing 25 basal cell carcinoma and 25 control tissue samples were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus. Cell type fraction estimates were derived by least-squares deconvolution. Population differences were determined by Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: Most significantly, two deconvolution algorithms similarly observed greater B cell infiltration in tumor samples compared to normal tissue (P<0.0001).
Conclusion: Importantly, the results of this study provide new insight into the basal cell carcinoma tumor microenvironment and nominate testable immune cell populations for future therapeutic discovery. Study limitations include sample size and applicable background prediction levels of bulk deconvolution tools.
References
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