Setting the Standard in Spatial Biology: Deciphering Tumor Characteristics in Kidney Cancer Metastases Using CellScape™

Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (sRCC) is an aggressive form of kidney cancer that can be found in at least 20 percent of advanced kidney tumors and has high rates of metastasis. sRCC arises through a de-differentiation of the parental tumor, most commonly clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Metastases in these patients may exhibit ccRCC and/or sRCC features, but the molecular pathway to metastasis is unclear. The mainstays of treatment in the metastatic setting are VEGF-TKIs or immunotherapy, however, ccRCC and sRCC components may respond differently to these therapies.

In this GEN webinar, we present results leveraging high-resolution spatial technologies, including NanoString’s Spatial Molecular Imaging and Canopy’s CellScape immunotyping, to identify the unique tumor cell characteristics and corresponding immune microenvironments in matched primary ccRCC/sRCC tumors and metastatic lesions. We will show that:

• ccRCC regions exhibit high levels of VEGFA and related angiogenic genes, which are lost during the progression to sRCC;

• sRCC areas express high levels of immunogenic genes including MHC Class I and II factors and facilitate an immune-rich microenvironment suggesting susceptibility to immunotherapy;

• matched metastatic lesions show remarkable similarity to either the ccRCC or sRCC components of the primary tumor, both in tumor cell features as well as corresponding immune microenvironments; and

• we will highlight the importance of understanding this heterogeneity as it may have important implications on therapy response.

A live Q&A session will follow the presentation, offering you a chance to pose questions to our expert panelists.