Active Surveillance Reveals a Systemic Pro-Resolving Th2 Immune Program Linked to 1 Desmoid Tumor Regression

Abstract

Desmoid fibromatosis (DF) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm with an unpredictable clinical course, where spontaneous regression or progression occurs in a significant subset of patients through largely undefined mechanisms. The use of active surveillance (AS) offers the opportunity to investigate whether tumor- or host-driven systemic and local immune features may explain these divergent outcomes, improving patient management. A prospective observational study enrolled 55 patients with primary sporadic DF managed with AS. Clinical evolution was categorized as progression, regression, or stable disease according to RECIST 1.1. Immunomonitoring with multicolor flow cytometry identified distinct systemic T-helper polarization states stratifying clinical trajectories: regressors showed a Th2-skewed profile, while progressors displayed activated T-helper cells and Th1/Th9/Th17 subsets. Higher baseline Th2 levels associated with regression and longer progression-free survival. Plasma proteomic and whole-blood transcriptomic analyses confirmed coordinated IL-4/IL-13-linked pro-resolving programs in regressors and inflammatory, early T-cell activation signatures in progressors. Tumor transcriptomics revealed adaptive, antigen-presentation and restrained immune programs in regressing lesions versus innate inflammatory, interferon and TGF-{beta}-driven fibrotic pathways in progressing tumors. These findings identify systemic T-helper polarization as a biomarker of DF behavior and highlight coordinated systemic-tumoral immune programs underlying clinical outcomes, supporting more precise clinical management.