sCD163- Can seroma development after mastectomy be predicted by a simple serum parameter? (Results of the SerMa-pilot study)

Objective: Seroma development is a frequent complication following mastectomy due to breast cancer. In the SerMa-pilot study, postoperative seroma formation was associated with higher levels of M2-polarized (CD163+) macrophages in the primary tumor microenvironment (TME) and surrounding adipose tissue (SAT) at the time of surgery. Moreover, we detected high levels of M2-polarized macrophages in the seroma fluid itself. This study aims to determine whether soluble CD163 (sCD163), which is produced by proteolysis of membrane proteins and detectable in preoperatively obtained serum samples, can be used as an alternative prognostic parameter regarding seroma formation.

Materials and Methods: 49 Preoperatively sampled patient sera were analyzed regarding sCD163 using a DuoSet ELISA kit (R&D Systems) according to manufacturer instructions. The correlations between sCD163 and CD163+macrophages in the TME and SAT were evaluated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The Mann-Whitney-U-test was used to determine the statistical significance of higher sCD163-levels regarding seroma development. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: CD163+cells in the TME (r=0.416, p=0.012) and in the SAT (r=0.494, p=0.008) correlated positively and significantly with sCD163. However, statistical significance regarding the levels of sCD163 of patients with and without seroma development was not reached (p=0.251).

Conclusion: While the current analysis did not show statistical significance for sCD163 as a predictor of seroma development, possibly due to limited sample size, it correlated positively with the previously determined prognostic M2-macrophage infiltration of the primary TME and SAT. These results will form the basis for further analyses within the already started international Seroma study.

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Artikel online veröffentlicht:
04. Juni 2025