Immunosuppressive CD14⁺HLA-DR^low/- monocytes in prostate cancer

OBJECTIVE. To determine if the levels of circulating myeloid-derived suppressor cells increase with progression of prostate cancer (PCa); to determine if such cells could contribute to the relative inefficiency of PCa immunotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We analyzed peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from untreated PCa patients (uPCa; N=18; mean age±SD: 72.1± 6.9 years), tPCa (N = 22; 72.8 ± 9.8 years) and age matched controls (AMC; N = 12; 68.8 ± 7.5 years). We quantified surface marker phenotype, differentiation potential, effects on T cell proliferation and intracellular cytokines. RESULTS. We observed an unexpectedly high percentage of a type of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, CD14⁺HLA-DR ^low/- monocytes, in tPCa (30.7±15.0% of CD14⁺ cells) relative to AMC (4.1⁺6.5%, P<0.0001) and uPCa (10.6 ± 14.3%, P = 0.0001). The levels of CD14⁺ HLA-DR ^low/- cells were significantly correlated with circulating PSA levels and treatment with LHRH-agonist leuprolide in combination with either an antiandrogen or dexamethasone. Monocytes from tPCa inhibited autologous T cell proliferation statistically significantly more effectively than AMC monocytes and were defective in their ability to differentiate into phenotypically mature dendritic cells. Isolated CD14⁺HLA-DR^low/- cells expressed higher levels of intracellular interleukin-10 and suppressed T cell proliferation more effectively than isolated CD14⁺HLA-DR⁺ cells. CONCLUSIONS. This is the first report of CD14⁺ cells exhibiting reduced expression of HLADRmolecules in PCa patients. These cells suppress immune cell function in vitro and, plausibly, in vivo, a finding that must be factored into the design of immunotherapy protocols for PCa patients.