Sarcoma microenvironment cell states and ecosystems are associated with prognosis and predict response to immunotherapy
In the study, “Sarcoma microenvironment cell states and ecosystems are associated with prognosis and predict response to immunotherapy,” the researchers used EcoTyper, a machine-learning framework, to identify cell states and environments that make up sarcomas using large data sets from tumor samples from patients that can be compared with clinical annotations. Using this technique, they identified and confirmed 23 sarcoma-specific cell states. One of three distinct cell ecotypes identified is defined by a specific immune cell type called tumor-associated macrophages and another cell type called epithelial-like malignant cells was able to predict response to a type of immune therapy called immune-checkpoint inhibition which is like removing the brakes from the immune system. These results indicate a way that may allow oncologists to identify soft tissue sarcoma that may respond to immunotherapy.