Data from Measurement of Ovarian Tumor Immune Profiles by Multiplex Immunohistochemistry: Implications for Epidemiologic Studies

<div>AbstractBackground:<p>Despite the immunogenic nature of many ovarian tumors, treatment with immune checkpoint therapies has not led to substantial improvements in ovarian cancer survival. To advance population-level research on the ovarian tumor immune microenvironment, it is critical to understand methodologic issues related to measurement of immune cells on tissue microarrays (TMA) using multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) assays.</p>Methods:<p>In two prospective cohorts, we collected formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded ovarian tumors from 486 cases and created seven TMAs. We measured T cells, including several sub-populations, and immune checkpoint markers on the TMAs using two mIF panels. We used Spearman correlations, Fisher exact tests, and multivariable-adjusted beta-binomial models to evaluate factors related to immune cell measurements in TMA tumor cores.</p>Results:<p>Between-core correlations of intratumoral immune markers ranged from 0.52 to 0.72, with more common markers (e.g., CD3⁺, CD3⁺CD8⁺) having higher correlations. Correlations of immune cell markers between the whole core, tumor area, and stromal area were high (range 0.69–0.97). In multivariable-adjusted models, odds of T-cell positivity were lower in clear cell and mucinous versus type II tumors (ORs, 0.13–0.48) and, for several sub-populations, were lower in older tissue (sample age > 30 versus ≤ 10 years; OR, 0.11–0.32).</p>Conclusions:<p>Overall, high correlations between cores for immune markers measured via mIF support the use of TMAs in studying ovarian tumor immune infiltration, although very old samples may have reduced antigenicity.</p>Impact:<p>Future epidemiologic studies should evaluate differences in the tumor immune response by histotype and identify modifiable factors that may alter the tumor immune microenvironment.</p></div>