Single-cell analysis of the cellular landscape of vulvar melanoma provides new insight for immunotherapy administration

Abstract Background Vulvar and vaginal melanoma (VuM & VaM) is a rare gynecologic malignancy with high mortality but low effectiveness to checkpoint immunotherapy compared to cutaneous melanoma. This article aims to elucidate the role of the disordered immune microenvironment in cancer progressi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xinqi Wang, Jiahui Li, Yifei Li, Mingyi Lv, Xue Dong, Zhenxin Fan, Tao Guo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2024-01-01
Series:BMC Cancer
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-024-11839-0
Description
Summary:Abstract Background Vulvar and vaginal melanoma (VuM & VaM) is a rare gynecologic malignancy with high mortality but low effectiveness to checkpoint immunotherapy compared to cutaneous melanoma. This article aims to elucidate the role of the disordered immune microenvironment in cancer progression in VuM. Methods At first, this article applied single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to the VuM obtained from a 68-year-old female patient, and constructed a single-cell atlas of VuM consist of 12,243 single cells. Then this article explores the genomic complexity and core signal channel in VuM microenvironment. Results This article provides new insights about the pathogenesis of VuM based on single-cell resolution data. It was found that the activation of CD8+ T cell contributed to induce tumor angiogenesis and immune escape, and the activation of the antigen-presenting molecular function participated in melanoma metastasis. Conclusion This article provided new insights into underlining VuM molecular regulation and potential signaling involved in immunotherapy, which would benefit the clinical practice and administration.
ISSN:1471-2407