Prognostic value of macrophage vasculiform mimicry in the evaluation of uveal melanoma progression

Introduction Uveal melanoma (UM) is a malignant neoplasm of the vascular tract of the eye, prone to hematogenous metastasis, regardless of the type of treatment performed. Prediction and probability of UM metastasis is one of the main tasks of onco-ophthalmology. We decribed an alternative method of tumor blood supply due to the process of vasculo-like mimicry (VM) with the formation of pseudovascular structures of tumor cells is described. At the same time, the participation of the microenvironment in the processes of VM and metastasis is currently debatable and relevant.Purpose of the work was to evaluate the prognostic role of macrophage vasculiform mimicry in the progression of chorioid melanoma based on the histological and immunohistochemical characteristics of surgical material.Materials and methods The surgical material of choroidal melanoma after enucleation for the period 2013-2018 was studied. Histological, histochemical (PAS reaction) and immunohistochemical studies were carried out using markers CD68 (macrophages), CD 34, CD31, D2-40 for the purpose of qualitative and quantitative assessment of macrophages in the stroma of tumors, large vessels and pseudovessels in the tumor.Results The ability of macrophages to form vasculo-like spaces in choroidal melanoma has been discovered and described. In growth with macrometastases, more phage representatives are recorded than in tissue samples of non-metastasizing melanoma. the volume of the macroscopic mass of the ulcer and the growth rate of phages were registered as the inverse average in terms of the strength of the correlation. In group studies with metastases, an increase in the volume of pseudovascular volumes and the number of phages is recorded.Discussion The macrophage microenvironment in a tumor can play a dual role: antitumor and protumor. The ability of macrophages for VM in UM has been described. The results of our macrostudy confirm the protumor activity of phages and their important role in tumor metastasis.Conclusion In-depth study of the ways of pseudovascular space formation not only by the cells of the tumor itself, but also by its microenvironment, helps to open new directions in the study of predictors of UM metastasis and outline approaches to the development of new directions of anti-tumortherapy.