Multiplex imaging of localized prostate tumors reveals altered spatial organization of AR-positive cells in the microenvironment

Summary: Mapping the spatial interactions of cancer, immune, and stromal cell states presents novel opportunities for patient stratification and for advancing immunotherapy. While single-cell studies revealed significant molecular heterogeneity in prostate cancer cells, the impact of spatial stromal cell heterogeneity remains poorly understood. Here, we used cyclic immunofluorescent imaging on whole-tissue sections to uncover novel spatial associations between cancer and stromal cells in low- and high-grade prostate tumors and tumor-adjacent normal tissues. Our results provide a spatial map of single cells and recurrent cellular neighborhoods in the prostate tumor microenvironment of treatment-naive patients. We report unique populations of mast cells that show distinct spatial associations with M2 macrophages and regulatory T cells. Our results show disease-specific neighborhoods that are primarily driven by androgen receptor-positive (AR+) stromal cells and identify inflammatory gene networks active in AR+ prostate stroma.