Evaluation of the Macrophage Differentiation Pattern in Basal Cell Carcinoma in Superficial, Nodular, and Sclerodermiform Subtypes

• Grant number: 25/13210-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Anna Carolina Miola
• Grantee: José Ferreira de Oliveira Neto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is considered the most common malignant skin neoplasm in humans. There are different clinical and histopathological subtypes of BCC, and the evolutionary differences between them are not well defined, nor are the processes that determine their histological differentiation. Although more than 40% of lesions are characterized by mixed components, distinct features, invasiveness, and recurrence patterns are observed among the subtypes, suggesting different biological behaviors. Among the non-tumoral cells present in solid tumors, macrophages stand out due to their functional plasticity, being capable of adopting two polarization patterns: M1, which is associated with inflammatory response and tumor cell destruction; and M2, which promotes angiogenesis and tumor growth. Although the M2 phenotype predominates in various cancers and no differences in macrophage phenotype predominance have been observed between primary and recurrent forms of nodular BCC, studies on macrophage patterns in different histological subtypes of BCC are lacking. Therefore, this study proposes to evaluate the superficial, nodular, and sclerodermiform subtypes of BCC by investigating the macrophage polarization pattern through immunohistochemistry, aiming to expand the understanding of the biological particularities of each histological subtype and, consequently, contribute to the development of future therapeutic and follow-up strategies that are more individualized and tailored to the profile of each diagnosed BCC subtype. (AU)