Cancer Cell, co-auth.: M.Quadroni

Fibrotic response to anti-CSF-1R therapy potentiates glioblastoma recurrence

Spencer S Watson 1Anoek Zomer 2Nadine Fournier 3Joao Lourenco 3Manfredo Quadroni 4Agnieszka Chryplewicz 5Sina Nassiri 3Pauline Aubel 1Simona Avanthay 2Davide Croci 2Erik Abels 6Marike L D Broekman 6Douglas Hanahan 7Jason T Huse 8Roy T Daniel 9Monika E Hegi 10Krisztian Homicsko 11Giulia Cossu 12Andreas F Hottinger 13Johanna A Joyce 14

. 2024 Sep 9;42(9):1507-1527.e11.

 doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.08.012.

Free article

Abstract

Glioblastoma recurrence is currently inevitable despite extensive standard-of-care treatment. In preclinical studies, an alternative strategy of targeting tumor-associated macrophages and microglia through CSF-1R inhibition was previously found to regress established tumors and significantly increase overall survival. However, recurrences developed in ∼50% of mice in long-term studies, which were consistently associated with fibrotic scars. This fibrotic response is observed following multiple anti-glioma therapies in different preclinical models herein and in patient recurrence samples. Multi-omics analyses of the post-treatment tumor microenvironment identified fibrotic areas as pro-tumor survival niches that encapsulated surviving glioma cells, promoted dormancy, and inhibited immune surveillance. The fibrotic treatment response was mediated by perivascular-derived fibroblast-like cells via activation by transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling and neuroinflammation. Concordantly, combinatorial inhibition of these pathways inhibited treatment-associated fibrosis, and significantly improved survival in preclinical trials of anti-colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R) therapy.