biostudies-literatureMassi DAssociazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul CancroFondazione CariploRoche S.P.A.Azienda Socio Sanitaria Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy308https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC6858711biostudies-literatureUnknown7(1)<h4>Background</h4>Clinical response to MAPK inhibitors in metastatic melanoma patients is heterogeneous for reasons still needing to be elucidated. As the patient immune activity contributes to treatment clinical benefit, the pre-existing level of immunity at tumor site may provide biomarkers of disease outcome to therapy. Here we investigated whether assessing the density and spatial tissue distribution of key immune cells in the tumor microenvironment could identify patients predisposed to respond to MAPK inhibitors.<h4>Methods</h4>Pretreatment tumor biopsies from a total of 213 patients (158 for the training set and 55 for the validation set) treated with BRAF or BRAF/MEK inhibitors within the Italian Melanoma Intergroup were stained with selected immune markers (CD8, CD163, β-catenin,Journal for immunotherapy of cancerThe density and spatial tissue distribution of CD8⁺ and CD163⁺ immune cells predict response and outcome in melanoma patients receiving MAPK inhibitors.PMC6858711121622015-0911Rulli ECattaneo LDi Guardo LQueirolo PGalli FDe Penni RNassini RPalmieri GCossa MVallacchi VSimi SMandala MBaroni GPortelli FDe Logu FTucci MItalian Melanoma IntergroupConsoli FRivoltini LQuaglino PSileni VCMassi DValeri BMerelli BDel Vecchio MGuida MDi Giacomo AMRodolfo MOccelli MCarnevale-Schianca FMinisini AfalseThe density and spatial tissue distribution of CD8⁺ and CD163⁺ immune cells predict response and outcome in melanoma patients receiving MAPK inhibitors.<h4>Background</h4>Clinical response to MAPK inhibitors in metastatic melanoma patients is heterogeneous for reasons still needing to be elucidated. As the patient immune activity contributes to treatment clinical benefit, the pre-existing level of immunity at tumor site may provide biomarkers of disease outcome to therapy. Here we investigated whether assessing the density and spatial tissue distribution of key immune cells in the tumor microenvironment could identify patients predisposed to respond to MAPK inhibitors.<h4>Methods</h4>Pretreatment tumor biopsies from a total of 213 patients (158 for the training set and 55 for the validation set) treated with BRAF or BRAF/MEK inhibitors within the Italian Melanoma Intergroup were stained with selected immune markers (CD8, CD163, β-catenin,2019-01-01T00:00:00Z2019 Nov2026-05-01T15:45:17.799Z2026-04-07T17:04:49.847ZS-EPMC68587113173050210.1186/s40425-019-0797-4