Analysing the stromal microenvironment  in vestibular schwannomas – key to their growth?

Background: Vestibular schwannomas (VS) remain a challenge despite improvements in surgery and radiotherapy. Strategies to target tumor microenvironment to shrink VS before surgery or radiotherapy could vastly improve the outcomes of management.

Objectives: Assess phenotypic and functional characteristics of stromal fibroblasts and macrophages in the tumour microenvironment of VS.

Methods: Patients undergoing VS surgery were recruited into the study. Tumour tissue was used to establish fibroblast cultures. Immunofluorescence staining for fibroblast and macrophage markers was performed on frozen tumour tissue.

Results: Fibroblast cultures were successfully established from tumour tissue from ten of seventeen VS patients. A strong expression of fibroblast markers CD90 and podoplanin was present in all VS samples on immunofluorescence. The stem cell marker CD34 was expressed in 50% of the samples. CD163, a macrophage marker, was present in 60% of the VS.

Conclusions: Fibroblasts and macrophages form an important component of VS stroma. Ongoing functional analyses of the cell subtypes will uncover their role in the growth of VS.

Analysing the stromal tumour microenvironment in vestibular schwannomas- key to their growth?