The texture of collagen in the microenvironments of Merkel cell carcinoma

Author(s)

Laurito, Tiago Luders ^[1] ; Franca, Flavia Thome ^[1] ; Vieira-Damiani, Gislaine ^[2] ; Pelegati, Vitor Bianchin ^[3] ; Baratti, Mariana Ozello ^[3] ; de Carvalho, Hernandez Faustino ^[3] ; Cesar, Carlos Lenz ^[3] ; de Moraes, Aparecida Machado ^[4] ; Cintra, Maria Leticia ^[1] ; Teixeira, Fernanda ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Pathol, Fac Med Sci, Rua Tessalia Vieira de Camargo 126, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Fed Inst Educ Sci & Technol Sao Paulo, Ave Enio Pires de Camargo 2971, Capivari, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, Natl Inst Photon Appl Cell Biol, Inst Phys, Dept Quantum Elect, Rua Sergio Buarque de Holanda 777, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Dermatol, Fac Med Sci, Rua Tessalia Vieira de Camargo 126, Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: MEDICINE; v. 100, n. 47 NOV 24 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Solid tumors typically contain high levels of fibrillar collagen. The increased stromal collagen deposition usually promotes cancer progression since biochemical and biophysical cues from tumor-associated collagen fibers stimulate neoplastic cells. Few studies have investigated the relationship between Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) and the extracellular matrix (ECM), but there are no works evaluating collagen. This is an observational, analytical, retrospective study including 11 patients with MCC. Primary tumor-stained sections were evaluated by second harmonic generation microscopy and texture analysis. Peritumoral texture features (area fraction, mean gray value, entropy, and contrast) showed much lower values than normal skin (P < .0001) revealing extensively altered structure of peritumoral collagen fibers. These differences were not significant between tumors with unfavorable and favorable known prognostic factors. Profound changes in collagen fibers present in the stroma accompanying primary MCC may contribute to the aggressive behavior of this tumor. Our results indicate that whatever MCC histological subtype, size or anatomical location, MCC promotes the same type of ECM for its development. As an outlook, therapies using ECM macromolecules or fibroblasts (the architects of ECM remodeling) as target could be useful in the treatment of MCC. (AU)