Multiomic analysis of malignant ascites defines RORC-expressing dendritic cells at sites of metastasis.

RORC-expressing dendritic cells are enriched in malignant ascites and metastases, indicating a potential role in advanced cancer progression.

• Why it matters: Understanding immune cell populations in malignant ascites can reveal mechanisms of tumor immune evasion and identify targets for therapy, addressing a critical gap in cancer immunology.
• What they did: Multiomic analyses of ascites samples from cancer patients identified RORC DCs; these cells were isolated using a high-purity sorting strategy and characterized through in vitro experiments and multiplexed immunofluorescence.
• The result: Findings show RORC DCs are stable, promote T cell proliferation, and are enriched in primary tumors and lymph node metastases, suggesting they contribute to tumor microenvironment modulation and disease progression.