2022 01 07 475451v1 Full

bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.07.475451; this version posted January 10, 2022.
The copyright holder for this preprint

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Radiofrequency ablation remodels the tumor microenvironment and promotes systemic

immunomodulation in pancreatic cancer
SHORT TITLE: RFA immunomodulation in pancreatic cancer
Erika Y. Faraoni, PhD1,#, Nirav C. Thosani, MD.2,#, Baylee O’Brien, BSA1, Lincoln N. Strickland,
BS1, Victoria Mota, BS1, Jarod Chaney, BS1, Putao Cen, MD3, Julie Rowe, MD3, Jessica
Cardenas, PhD4, Kyle L. Poulsen, PhD5, Curtis J. Wray, MD4, Jennifer Bailey-Lundberg,
PhD1,2,5,*
1
Department of Anesthesiology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health
Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
2
Center for Interventional Gastroenterology at UTHealth (iGUT), McGovern Medical School, The
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
3
Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
4
Department of Surgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science
Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
5
Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Perioperative Medicine, McGovern Medical School,
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
#
Co-first authors
*Correspondence:
Jennifer Bailey-Lundberg, PhD
Department of Anesthesiology
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
MSB 6.230, 6431 Fannin St.
Houston, TX 77030, United States
[email protected]
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

ABBREVIATIONS: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA), Tumor microenvironment (TME),
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAF)
KEY WORDS: radiofrequency ablation, tumor microenvironment, anti-tumor immunity,
pancreatic cancer
GRANT SUPPORT: The RPPA Core facility at MDAnderson is funded by CA16672. J.B.L
received funding from the Texas Medical Center Digestive Disease Center Pilot Award
2P30DK056338-16, a grant from the National Pancreas Foundation and Pathway to Leadership
Grant from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and American Association for Cancer
Research.
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS Data Curation: E.Y.F., N.C.T., B.O., L.S., V.M., J.C., J.C., K.L.P.,
C.J.W. Formal Analysis: E.Y.F., B.O., L.S., V.M. Resources: N.C.T. and J.B.L. Writing-reviewing
and editing: N.C.T., C.J.W., K.L.P. Conceptualization: E.Y.F, N.C.T, C.J.W., and J.B.L.,
Visualization: P.C. and J.R. Supervision, Funding acquisition: J.B.L. Writing original draft: E.Y.F.
and J.B.L.
bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.07.475451; this version posted January 10, 2022. The copyright holder for this preprint
ABSTRACT
Background and Aims: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by
resistance to therapy. A major contributing factor to therapeutic failure is profound desmoplasia
and a well-documented hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME). In PDAC, several therapeutic
approaches, including chemotherapy and radiation alone or combined with immune checkpoint
inhibitors, have shown minimal therapeutic success, placing an imperative need for the
discovery and application of innovative treatments. Endoscopic ultrasound guided
radiofrequency ablation (EUS-RFA) is a promising immunomodulator therapy for PDAC. In this
work, we hypothesized RFA promotes local and systemic stromal and immunomodulating
effects that can be identified for new combination therapeutic strategies. Methods: To test our
hypothesis, a syngeneic PDAC mouse model was performed by symmetrically injecting 100k
murine KPC cells in bilateral flanks of C57BL/6 female mice. RFA treatment initiated when
tumors reached 200-500 mm3 and was performed only in the right flank. The left flank tumor
(non-RFA contralateral side) was used as a paired control for further analysis. Results: RFA
promoted a significant reduction in tumor growth rate 4 days after treatment in RFA treated and
non-RFA side contralateral tumors from treated mice when compared to controls. Histological
analysis revealed a significant increase in expression of cleaved Caspase3 in RFA treated
tumors. In addition, collagen deposition and CD31+ cells were significantly elevated in RFA side
and non-RFA contralateral tumors from RFA treated mice. Proteome profiling showed changes
in C5a and IL-23 in RFA responsive tumors, indicating a role of RFA in modulating intratumoral
inflammatory responses. Conclusions: These data indicate RFA promotes local and systemic
anti-tumor responses in a syngeneic mouse model of PDAC implicating RFA treatment for local
tumors as well as metastatic disease. Keywords: tumor associated macrophages; IL-23; tumor
vasculature; ablation induced necrosis

INTRODUCTION
1
PDAC is projected to become the second deadliest cancer by 2025 and is
characterized by a prominent desmoplasia, which consists of cancer-associated
fibroblasts (CAFs) and immune cells, whose dynamic nature play a crucial role in the
2-5
development of PDAC . In pancreatic tumors, different CAFs and immune cell
populations coexist in the TME with wide functional diversity, promoting both
suppressive and supportive effects on tumor growth and playing a critical role in tumor
6-8
development and therapy response . Numerous studies describe the complex and
heterogeneous immune landscape of PDAC which includes the recruitment of immune
cells that secrete immunosuppressive factors, such as chemokines (CXC12), cytokines
(IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, TGFβ, TNF-α and GM-CSF), as well as the expression of cell-surface
proteins, such as PD-L1 and CTLA4 which are checkpoint inhibitor molecules that
confer inhibitory signals to the immune compartment and contribute to immune
evasion9. In some PDAC patients, an increase in tumor associated macrophages (TAM)
and a decrease in CD4+ and/or CD8+ T cells has been correlated with poor prognosis
9,10
indicating immunotherapeutic strategies to increase anti-tumor immunity can
improve prognosis. Several therapeutic approaches, including chemotherapy and
radiation alone or combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown little
success in PDAC, placing an imperative need for the discovery and application of
innovative techniques 11,12.
Endoscopic ultrasound guided radiofrequency ablation (EUS-RFA) has the
advantage of being minimally invasive and safe and is one of the newer FDA-approved
techniques currently available for the treatment of a number of gastrointestinal

13-15
malignancies including pancreatic cancer . Studies in both animal models and
cancer patients show that RFA induces not only local burning/disruption of the tumor by
heat but also generates coagulative necrosis in local RFA treated tumors which
releases large amounts of cellular debris that represent a source of tumor antigens that
16-18
can trigger a host adaptive immune response against the tumor . We have recently
evaluated long-term outcomes of EUS-RFA in patients with advanced PDAC. EUS-RFA
could be combined with standard of care chemotherapy in our patient cohort, was well
19
tolerated and improved survival outcomes . Our clinical data indicate RFA in
combination with standard of care chemotherapy is a promising therapeutic strategy.
Other RFA preclinical and clinical studies have been done in treating advanced cancers
at the metastatic site. In colorectal cancer liver metastases, RFA treatment of liver
metastasis was shown to promote local and systemic Th1 type immune responses in
both animal models and human patients. In these studies, RFA treatment played a
significant role in inhibiting tumor recurrence from residual micro metastases or
circulating tumor cells 20,21.
In PDAC, one study has been reported in mice using bilateral injections of Pan02
17
cells . This group reported decreased numbers of T regulatory cells, tumor-associated
macrophages and tumor-associated neutrophils. Additionally, this study showed
increased numbers of functional DCs, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells on day 3 after RFA
treatment; however, the transient immune responses in this work lacked the ability to
suppress tumor growth. In contrast, our preliminary preclinical work involves a
syngeneic mouse model of PDAC, with bilateral injections of KPC cells. Unlike Pan02
cells, KPC cells express an oncogenic KrasG12D mutation present in the parental tumor
allowing allografted tumors, either subcutaneously or orthotopically, retain a variable
degree of desmoplasia, which better resembles the histological appearance and

22
leukocyte complexity of the spontaneous parental tumor in KPC mice . Our results
show a significant reduction in tumor growth rate 4 days after RFA treatment in RFA
and non-RFA side contralateral tumors in treated mice compared to control tumors. This
reduction in size was accompanied by significant upregulation of cleaved Caspase3
expression in RFA treated tumors and significant remodeling of the stroma. To better
characterize the systemic response, Imaging Mass cytometry was done on non-RFA
contralateral tumors and neighborhood analysis was used to observe spacial
localization of immune cell types with epithelium. Surprisingly, while we quantified a
significant increase in granzyme B in RFA treated tumors compared to controls, we did
not observe a significant increase in granzyme B in non-RFA contralateral tumors.
These results led us to hypothesize RFA initially promotes a strong local and systemic
anti-tumor response, but tumor microenvironment remodeling and immunosuppressive
mechanisms may also be elevated, which may compromise the long-term effects post
ablation.
Our results are timely as therapeutic strategies to treat pancreatic cancer patients
with locally advanced or metastatic disease remain limited. Current chemotherapy
regimens such as modified FOLFIRINOX or gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel have
shown survival advantage over gemcitabine alone and are the standard systemic
23
treatment options for PDAC . Immunotherapies are gaining significant traction and
recently a combination of TIGIT/PD-1 co-blockade in combination with CD40 agonism
elicited anti-tumor responses in pre-clinical studies 24.
RESULTS
Radiofrequency ablation reduces PDAC tumor growth rate in vivo
To determine the effects of RFA in vivo, we established a syngeneic mouse model of
pancreatic cancer and recorded tumor measurement every 4 days. After tumor ablation
in one flank, we bilaterally monitored tumor size for another 4 days and compared tumor
growth to a Sham control group which received no treatment (Figure 1A). RFA ablation
did not affect body weight (Figure S1A). Comprehensive assessment of fold change
(FC) in tumor growth rate 4 days before and after RFA treatment revealed a successful
reduction with overall response in 14 mice (82.35%), from which more than 6 of them
(42%) were categorized as bilateral responses including both RFA side and non-RFA
side contralateral tumors (Figure S1B, see details in Table 1). Only three mice
(17.65%) showed no acute response to RFA treatment on either side. In these three
mice, the RFA treated tumors did not display any signs of necrosis indicating ablation,
suggesting the absence of response in these three mice is due to technical failure
(Figure S2A).
In RFA responsive tumors, successful RFA ablation abruptly induced a three FC
reduction in tumor growth rate 4 days after (Post) treatment in both the local (RFA side)
and systemic (non-RFA) contralateral sides (Figure 1B, p<0.0001), while no difference
was observed in control Sham-treated tumors (Figure 1F, p=0.63). Unexpectedly, in
this group of mice, we observe a small subset of tumors (n=8) did not respond post
RFA. These RFA non-responsive tumors doubled their FC in tumor growth rate 4 days
after RFA treatment (Figure 1C, p<0.01), irrespective of their location.
To better comprehend the RFA ablation effect, we analyzed the growth rate curves
in both RFA and non-RFA responsive tumors. Surprisingly, RFA responsive tumors
irrespective of their location, presented a biphasic tumor growth rate curve with
increased (p<0.0001) and decreased (p<0.0001) growth rate before (Pre) and after
(Post) RFA treatment (Figure 1D). Like KPC control tumors, which continued to grow at
a similar rate during the study (Figures 1F and 1G), RFA treated non-responsive
tumors presented a constant tumor growth rate before RFA treatment; however, they
increased their tumor growth rate after ablation (Figure 1E, p<0.05).
RFA promotes significant necrosis in both RFA treated and non-RFA tumors
To assess potential histopathological similarities in local and systemic responses
between tumors 4 days after RFA treatment, we evaluated necrosis and apoptotic
markers in responsive tumors. Composite images of hematoxylin and eosin staining
revealed that both RFA side (p<0.05) and non-RFA contralateral side tumors (p<0.01)
presented significantly increased necrotic area compared to control KPC tumors with no
evident differences between sides (Figures 2A and 2D). In non-responsive tumors, no
differences were found in necrotic area between groups (Figure S2B).
Conversely, immunohistochemistry staining of cleaved caspase 3, which is
considered a reliable marker for cells that are dying, or have died by apoptosis,
revealed significantly increased staining only in the RFA treated side when compared to
KPC control (p<0.05) and non-RFA contralateral side tumors (Figures 2B and 2E).
Similarly, granzyme B staining was also significantly increased only in RFA treated
tumors when compared to both KPC control (p<0.05) and non-RFA contralateral side
tumors (Figures 2C and 2F). These results suggest differential anti-tumor mechanisms
of RFA response when comparing local and systemic anti-tumor immunity despite
similar necrotic induction after RFA ablation.
RFA local response promotes C5/C5a and IL-23 secretion and neutrophil
infiltration
To determine the nature of RFA response in locally ablated tumors, we performed a
membrane-based antibody array in tumor homogenates and found that RFA
significantly increases C5/C5a and IL-23 expression in RFA locally ablated tumors
compared to KPC control (Figure 3A, p<0.0001). Based on the capability of both
molecules to stimulate neutrophil recruitment, we assessed neutrophil tumor abundance
by immunohistochemistry and found it was significantly elevated in both RFA
(p<0.0001) and non-RFA contralateral side tumors (p<0.001) compared to KPC control
(Figures 3B and 3C). Moreover, we also observed elevated myeloperoxidase (MPO)
staining in areas with high density of neutrophils indicating a prominent anti-tumor
neutrophil response after ablation in both RFA and non-RFA contralateral side tumors
(Figure 3D).
RFA remodels the TME in local and non-RFA contralateral side tumors
As the immune system orchestrates key roles in neovascularization, collagen
deposition, tissue remodeling and is important to characterize for response to

25-27
immunotherapy, we wanted to study the effects of RFA ablation on tumor fibrosis
and angiogenesis. We performed trichrome staining in KPC control tumors and
compared RFA side and non-RFA contralateral side tumors (Figure 4A). We quantified
the percentage of collagen per field and observed both RFA (p<0.001) and non-RFA
contralateral side (p<0.0001) tumors presented elevated levels when compared to KPC
control tumors (Figure 4C). Similarly, both treated RFA (p<0.05) and non-RFA
contralateral side tumors (p<0.05) presented increased CD31+ cell staining when
compared to control samples (Figures 4B and 4D), suggesting an active RFA-induced
remodeling of the pancreatic cancer TME in both locally treated and distant non-treated
sites.
RFA tumor microenvironment remodeling in human pancreatic tumors
To examine the impact of EUS-RFA in human PDAC, we used a hematoxylin and eosin
stain on a resected PDAC specimen from a patient that received three ablation
treatment sessions. The tumor was localized at the head of pancreas from a patient with
locally advanced Stage III pancreatic cancer. The H&E image shows adjacent RFA-
Ablated and Non-Ablated areas (Figure 5A). Limited epithelial cells were observed in
the ablated region. Histopathological analysis of higher magnification RFA-ablated and
non-ablated areas (Figure 5B, upper and lower panel, respectively) showed evident
signs of necrotic tissue and collagen deposition as evaluated by H&E analysis and
trichrome staining (Figure 5B, Middle panels) and increased angiogenesis as
evidenced by CD31+ cells (Figure 5B, Right panels), with the latter more pronounced in
the RFA ablated area compared to non-ablated region.
Based on the immune infiltrates observed in our preclinical mouse model, we also
analyzed MPO and granzyme B by immunohistochemistry. Similar to what we found in

murine subcutaneous tumors, we observed a significant presence of MPO staining
suggesting active secretion of this inflammatory enzyme from immune cell infiltrates in
both RFA-ablated and non-ablated areas (Figure 5C). Likewise, granzyme B was also
present in both areas (Figure 5D) indicating a potential local activation of natural killer
cells and cytotoxic T cells in human pancreatic tumors after RFA. These results are
consistent with the significant induction of granzyme B + cells in our RFA treated murine
tumors.
RFA systemic response is associated with a significant induction of anti-tumor
M1 macrophages, colocalizing with activated CD8+ T cells and anti-tumor
neutrophils
A surprising result from our experiment was the potent acute reduction in FC tumor
growth rate in the non-RFA contralateral side tumors. Notably, while we observed an
increase in granzyme B + staining in these tumors, we did not quantify a significant
induction of granzyme B in the non-RFA contralateral tumors. Thus, we wanted to
comprehensively evaluate the immune cell composition of these tumors to define the
cellularity of the immune cell microenvironment in tumors with systemic
immunomodulation. To assess the abundance of immune cell infiltrates in distant non-
treated tumors, we evaluated by Imaging Mass Cytometry (IMC) three regions from
contralateral non-RFA side tumors (Figure 6A). Cluster identities are shown in Figure
6B. In analyzing the immune composition on the non-RFA contralateral side, IMC data
quantification showed increased abundance of F480+CD44+ macrophages (Figure 6A
and 6E). tSNE plots were used to visualize cluster abundance (Figure 6C) and IMC
Neighborhood analysis showed F480+CD44+ macrophages strongly colocalized with

activated CD8+CD44+ T cells and anti-tumor neutrophils expressing
Ly6G+CD11b+CD44+ (Figures 6D Clusters 19, 9 and 12).
Neighborhood analysis also evidenced a significantly decreased abundance of
PanCK+CD44+ cells, a potential tumor stem cell population, adjacent to immune cell
subtypes (Figure 6B -Cluster 5- and Figure 6D -Green Box-). In contrast, immune cell
clusters were observed in close association to PanCK+ cells. A significant colocalization
of PanCK expressing tumor cells, PanCK+CD44+ cells (Clusters 4 and 5, respectively)
and proliferating cells expressing Ki67+CD44+PanCK+ (Cluster 7) was significantly
associated with F480+CD44+ macrophages (Figure 6D, black arrows; Cluster 19)
suggesting anti-tumor macrophages contribute significantly to the systemic response
and increased necrosis in the non-RFA contralateral tumors. Notably, this study also
revealed these macrophages colocalized with cells expressing PD-L1 (Cluster 24)
indicating checkpoint blockade mechanisms may increase after the initial RFA anti-
tumor response and combination anti-PD-L1/PD-1 with RFA may improve overall
responses. Consistent with the neighborhood analysis, comprehensive IMC data
quantification from these tumors revealed F480+CD44+ macrophages were significantly
more prominent in these tumors compared to CD4+, CD8+CD44+, Ly6C+,
CD11C+CD44+, F480+CD44+CD11c+, B220+ or CD86+ cells (Figure 6E).
Large scale proteomics defines proteins altered in non-RFA contralateral tumors
In addition to histologic analysis, a large-scale functional proteomics platform using
Reverse Phase Protein Array (RPPA) at MDAnderson Cancer Center was used to
determine mechanisms altered in non-RFA tumors compared to control tumors. This
functional proteomic approach characterizes protein expression and post translational

modifications for over 400 proteins. Significantly downregulated proteins included
pAktT308, Cdc42, Gata6 and IGFRb (p<0.05), all important drivers of PDAC
tumorigenesis (Figure S3A). Significantly increased proteins included INPP4b, MIG6,
VHL and DDR1 (p<0.05). These proteins have tumor-suppressive functions in cancer
and may be important determinants of the post-RFA systemic response (Figure S3B).
METHODS
Immunohistochemistry
Tissues were fixed in zinc buffered formalin, processed according to standard protocols,
and embedded in paraffin. The unstained sections were baked at 60°C for
45minutes. The sections were deparaffinized with Histoclear and rehydrated. Antigen
retrieval was performed using heat-mediated microwave methods and the antigen
unmasking solution (Vector Laboratories, H-3300 pH 6) was used for cleaved caspase
3, NIMPR-14, and MPO antibodies. The antigen unmasking solution (Abcam 100X Tris-
EDTA pH 9) was used for the CD31 and Granzyme B antibodies. All sections were
blocked for one hour in 10% FBS in PBST and primary antibodies (Table S1) were
incubated overnight at 4°C. Secondary antibodies were used at 1:500 and incubated
at room temperature for 30minutes. The Vectastain ABC kit Peroxidase Standard
(Vector Laboratories, PK4000) and DAB Peroxidase (HRP) Substrate kit (Vector
Laboratories, SK-4100) were used. Slides were mounted in Cytoseal XYL (Epredia
8312-4) mounting media.
Human Image
Human post resection image is deidentified to all research personnel and in compliance
with UTHealth human subjects research.
Trichrome Staining
The Abcam Trichrome Stain (ab150686) kit was used for connective tissue staining.
Tissues were fixed in zinc buffered formalin, processed according to standard protocols,
and embedded in paraffin. The sections were deparaffinized with Histoclear and
rehydrated. Bouin's Fluid was preheated to 60o C and sections were incubated for 60
minutes. Sections were then stained with Weigert's Iron Hematoxylin for 5 minutes,
Biebrich Scarlet for 15 minutes, Phosphomolybdic Acid for 12 minutes, Aniline Blue
Solution for 20 minutes, and Acetic Acid Solution for 5 minutes. Sections were
dehydrated with Histoclear. Sections were mounted in Cytoseal XYL (Epredia 8312-4)
mounting media.
ImageJ Methods
Area of necrosis on H&E sections was measured using ImageJ (http://imagej.nih.gov/ij/)
software. All fields of pancreatic H&E composites were used for quantification. Necrosis
was calculated as percentage of total pancreatic area. Freehand selection tool was
used to isolate necrosis versus normal pancreatic tissues. Images for composite H&Es
were taken in 4X. For collagen fiber quantification, Abcam trichrome-stained pancreatic
sections were used. Color intensity was used to discern between true collagen staining
and background staining. Freehand selection tool of ImageJ software was used to
quantify the collagen area in five randomly chosen fields of each pancreatic section.
Fibrosis was calculated as percentage of total pancreatic area. In total, 5 fields per slide
were selected for quantification and all mice were analyzed per group. For IHC
quantification, color intensity was used to discern between true IHC staining and
background staining. Freehand selection tool of ImageJ software was used to quantify
the IHC positive area in five randomly chosen fields of each pancreatic section. Positive
staining was calculated as percentage of total pancreatic area. In total, 3-5 fields per
slide were selected for quantification and all mice were analyzed per group.
Imaging mass cytometry (IMC)
Metal-labeled antibodies were prepared according to the Fluidigm protocol. Antibodies
were obtained in carrier/protein-free buffer and then prepared using the MaxPar
antibody conjugation kit (Fluidigm). After determining the percent yield by absorbance
measurement at 280 nm, the metal-labeled antibodies were diluted in Candor PBS
Antibody Stabilization solution (Candor Bioscience) for long-term storage at 4°C.
Antibodies used in this study are listed in Table E1 28.
Tumor sections were baked at 60°C overnight, then dehydrated in xylene and
rehydrated in a graded series of alcohol (ethanol absolute, ethanol: deionized water
90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 50:50, 0:100; 10 minutes each) for imaging mass cytometry. Heat-
induced epitope retrieval was conducted in a water bath at 95°C in Tris buffer with
Tween20 at pH 9 for 20 minutes. After immediate cooling for 20 minutes, the sections
were blocked with 3% bovine serum albumin in tris-buffered saline (TBS) for 1 hour. For
staining, the sections were incubated overnight at 4°C with an antibody master mix.
Samples were then washed 4 times with TBS/0.1% Tween20. For nuclear staining, the
sections were stained with Cell-ID Intercalator (Fluidigm) for 5 minutes and washed
twice with TBS/0.1% Tween20. Slides were air-dried and stored at 4°C for ablation.
The sections were ablated with Hyperion (Fluidigm) for data acquisition. Imaging
mass cytometry data were segmented by ilastik and CellProfiler. Histology topography
cytometry analysis toolbox (HistoCAT) and R scripts were used to quantify cell number,
generate tSNE plots, and perform neighborhood analysis. For all samples, tumor and
cellular densities were averaged across 3 images per tumor, with n=3 per group.
Animal Model
All mouse model procedures are in compliance with UTHealth’s CLAMC Animal Welfare
Committee Review and approved on Dr. Bailey’s AWC protocol. 1X105 KPC cells in
PBS: Matrigel mix (1:1) were injected in the left and right flanks of female C57BL/6mice.
Tumor size was calculated twice per week with vernier caliper. Tumor volume was
calculated as (length × width × width)/2 in mm3. Radiofrequency ablation was performed
on the right-side tumor once tumors were 200-500mm3. Tumor Growth Rate was
calculated for each tumor pre and post RFA treatment as the ratio between 4-day
consecutive tumor measurements (Ex: Growth rate Pre: Measurement 2 / Measurement
1; Growth rate Treatment: Measurement 4 / Measurement 3). Fold Change (FC) in
tumor growth was calculated as the ratio between consecutive Growth Rate
Measurements. (Ex: Fold Change (FC) Pre: Growth rate Treatment / Growth rate Pre;
Fold Change (FC) Post: Growth rate Post / Growth rate Treatment).
Tumor Proteome Array
The Proteome Profiler™ Array Mouse Cytokine Array Panel A (ARY006, R&D Systems,
Minneapolis, MN, USA) was used to measure the protein expression levels of 40
cytokines and chemokines in KPC tumor tissues. Protein concentrations were

quantitated using a total protein assay. The array was inoculated with 200 μg proteins,
and samples were treated according to the product specification. Briefly, protein
samples were diluted and mixed with a cocktail of biotinylated detection antibodies and
then incubated with a mouse chemokine or cytokine array membrane. After washing,
streptavidin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase and chemiluminescent detection
reagents were added. Array images showing chemiluminescence signals were obtained
using a ChemiDoc MP (Bio-Rad Laboratories) and analyzed by densitometry for integral
optical density using Image Lab software. The optical density of each pair of chemokine
or cytokine spots was normalized to the corresponding KPC control tumor spots.
Radiofrequency ablation
RFA treatment was initiated when tumors reached 200-500 mm3. Mice were
anesthetized with isoflurane via a Patterson Scientific Posi-Vac nose cone. A small
incision was made in the right-side tumor to insert the Habib EUS RFA probe
perpendicular to the skin in the center of the tumor. Average power delivered was 1.82
W over 10-20 seconds. The non-RFA side contralateral tumor did not receive RFA
treatment. Mice were observed for signs of pain or discomfort post-ablation.
Functional Proteomics/RPPA Analysis
Control and non-RFA contralateral side tumors were collected and lysed using lysis
buffer (1% Triton X-100, 50mM HEPES, pH 7.4, 150mM NaCl, 1.5mM MgCl2,
1mMEGTA, 100 mM NaF, 10mM Na pyrophosphate, 1mM Na3VO4, 10% glycerol),
containing freshly added protease and phosphatase inhibitors (Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis,
MO) and protein concentration was measured by bicinchoninic acid (BCA) method.
Protein concentrations of samples were adjusted to 1mg/ml with lysis buffer. Cell
lysates were serially diluted two-fold for 5 dilutions (from undiluted to 1:16 dilution) and
arrayed on nitrocellulose-coated slides in an 11x11 format. Samples were probed with
antibodies by tyramide-based signal amplification approach and visualized by DAB
colorimetric reaction. The slides were analyzed and protein expression quantitated with
the use of Array-Pro Analyzer. All the data points were normalized for protein loading
and transformed to linear value, designated as "Normalized Linear".
DISCUSSION
In this study, we report local and systemic stromal modulation acutely induced by RFA.
A number of preclinical mouse models have shown RFA is a potent mediator of anti-
tumor responses as the ablation augments release of tumor antigens which elevates
15,17,29-31
antigen-specific T cell responses . These effects have predominantly been
studied in the local RFA ablation region. In this study, we observed an acute significant
reduction in FC tumor growth rate in both the RFA and non-RFA contralateral
subcutaneous tumors compared to control KPC tumors. In addition, we observed
significant changes to the TME in both the RFA treated tumors and the non-RFA
contralateral side tumors. These changes included a significant induction of necrosis
and collagen expressing stroma as well as a significant increase in CD31+ vascular
cells adjacent to the necrotic regions.
In the context of immune profiling, in our syngeneic model, we observed a significant
induction of granzyme B, important for T cell receptor induced cell death, and
inflammatory myeloperoxidase (MPO) in RFA treated tumors. Our comprehensive
assessment of RFA side and non-RFA side contralateral tumor growth revealed RFA is
a promising treatment for metastatic disease and primary tumors. Characterization of
the TME revealed RFA treatment significantly changes the TME including induction of
collagen and CD31+ cells indicating RFA directly or indirectly promotes angiogenesis,
which may improve drug delivery. Our data on the non-RFA contralateral side tumors
revealed similar changes in abundance of necrosis as well as changes in the TME. We
quantified significant increases in collagen and CD31+ vessels on the contralateral side
indicating Th1-mediated responses generate a potent alteration of the TME in non-RFA
side contralateral tumors. To determine immune cell subsets in the non-RFA tumors, we
used imaging mass cytometry (IMC) which revealed abundant anti-tumor macrophages
were a significant component of the non-RFA side contralateral Th1 response.
Histologic assessment of a resected tumor from a patient that received three rounds of
RFA validated our murine preclinical findings. The ablation region had abundant
collagen staining by trichrome and CD31+ vessels were adjacent to the RFA region. We
also observed granzyme B and MPO staining in the parenchyma adjacent to the ablated
pancreatic tissue.
To study changes in the TME, we used a proteome profiler array on lysates from
control and RFA treated tumors. Consistent with elevated anti-tumor immunity, we
observed a significant induction of C5/C5a, a prominent proinflammatory anaphylatoxin
generated by cleavage of C5 during the compliment cascade 32. C5a promotes cytokine
release and has been shown to promote endothelial cell chemotaxis and angiogenesis.
Notably, C5a in non-small cell lung cancer has been shown to promote
immunosuppression as blockade of C5a receptor decreased ARG1, CTLA-4, LAG3 and

33
PDL1 in lung cancer models . As we observed increased C5/C5a in our RFA
responsive tumors, these data suggest while acute anti-tumor local and systemic
responses to RFA occur early after RFA, C5a may exert immunosuppressive
mechanisms and impair complete response long term after RFA and highlight the need
for pre-clinical evaluation of combination chemotherapy and immunotherapy with RFA
to achieve improved responses in patients.
In addition to C5a, IL-23 was significantly increased in non-RFA contralateral
tumors compared to control KPC tumors. IL-23 producing macrophages promote

34,35
immunity to bacteria and exert anti-microbial functions . These data are consistent
with our acute anti-tumor observation and IMC data showing a significant induction of
F480+CD44+ macrophages which are known to produce IL-23. However, emerging
data indicate elevated IL-23 promotes metastasis, growth of neoplastic epithelium,

36
immunosuppression and suggest IL-23 is a target for cancer therapy . While
correlative, directly related to our observations, IL-23 elevates matrix metalloprotease
MMP9 and has been shown to elevate angiogenesis and has been shown to diminishes
37
infiltration of CD8 T-cells . As IL-23 was significantly increased in RFA treated tumors,
combined targeting of IL-23 with RFA may improve overall responses in patients with
PDAC.
In addition to the proteome profiler, we used RPPA to evaluate proteomic
changes in the non-RFA tumors compared to controls. Cdc42, GATA6, IGFRb and p-
AktT308, all drivers of PDAC growth and survival, were significantly decreased in
responding non-RFA/contralateral tumors compared to controls. Surprisingly, a number
of proteins known to have tumor suppressor function were significantly increased in

38-41
non-RFA tumors including DDR1, INPP4b, MIG6 and EphaA2 . Notably, Drp1, a
mitochondrial fusion GTPase that is required for Ras driven glycolysis and PDAC
growth, was also significantly increased in contralateral tumors indicating tumor intrinsic
mechanisms are elevated that need to be targeted for improved responses with RFA 42.
One observation was an increased FC tumor growth rate in non-responsive RFA
treated tumors. The observed elevated FC tumor growth rates are consistent with
previous reports showing incomplete RFA can increase tumor growth rates through
significant induction of myeloid suppressor cells, increased new metastasis and
sustained local inflammation in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastasis 43.
In this study, we wanted to evaluate RFA responses in a highly relevant preclinical
model of PDAC. We have recently shown EUS-RFA is a promising therapeutic
approach in combination with standard of care chemotherapy for patients with locally-
19
advanced PDAC . We have now generated a preclinical ablation model which can be
further evaluated for preclinical chemotherapy or immunotherapy combinations. In our
current human clinical trial (www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT04990609), patients received
three RFA sessions, which may generate sustained Th1 responses and reduce
secondary systemic immunosuppression. In addition, we acknowledge and highlight
other limitations of our preclinical data as these mice only received one RFA treatment
and were not treated with chemotherapy or immunotherapy. The observed significant
induction in CD31+ vasculature and angiogenesis suggest RFA may be a novel
treatment to increase drug delivery to both local RFA treated tumors and distant
metastasis. Future preclinical experiments evaluating RFA responses using multiple
RFA treatments or in combination with IL-23 inhibitors, anti-PD1/PD-L1 or CD40

agonists will determine if these combination strategies promote survival for PDAC
patients, especially patients with locally advanced or metastatic disease where
innovative therapeutic options are needed to improve survival.
FIGURE LEGENDS
Figure 1. Radiofrequency ablation reduces PDAC tumor growth rate in vivo. (A)
Experimental design of RFA treatment. To determine if RFA reduces tumor growth, we
performed a bilateral injection model of 100k murine KPC cells. Tumor growth was
measured semi-weekly and RFA was performed on one side when the tumors reached
500mm3. Tumor growth was monitored for another 4 days before mice were euthanized.
(B) Decreased fold change (FC) in tumor growth rate 4 days pre and post RFA
treatment was observed in RFA side (n=10) and non-RFA side (n=10) responsive
tumors (p<0.0001). (C) Increased fold change (FC) in tumor growth rate 4 days pre and
post RFA treatment was observed in RFA side (n=4) and non-RFA side (n=4) non-
responsive tumors (p<0.05). (D) Response in RFA side (n=10) and non-RFA side
(n=10) tumors presented a biphasic growth curve with increased (p<0.0001) and
decreased (p<0.0001) rate pre and post RFA treatment. (E) Non-Responsive RFA side
(n=4) and non-RFA side (n=4) tumors showed a significant increase in tumor growth
rate 4 days pre and post RFA treatment (p<0.05). (F) At time of euthanasia,
comprehensive assessment of fold change (FC) in tumor growth rate 4 days pre and
post RFA treatment revealed no differences in control tumors (n=8; P=0.63). (G) Growth
rate in KPC control group. Control sham treated tumors presented a continuous growth
rate curve during the whole study (n=8; P<0.05). Data was analyzed by paired 2-way
ANOVA to determine statistical significance. Interaction (p<0.0001).
Figure 2. RFA increases necrotic area on both the RFA and non-RFA tumors
compared to control KPC subcutaneous tumors. (A) Representative composite H&E
staining of control, RFA, and non-RFA contralateral side tumors. (B) IHC staining for
cleaved caspase 3 in control, RFA, and non-RFA side tumors. (C) IHC staining for
granzyme B in control, RFA, and non-RFA contralateral side tumors. (D) ImageJ
quantification of necrosis in control, RFA and non-RFA. RFA significantly increases
necrosis on the RFA side (p<0.05; n=5) and non-RFA side tumors (p<0.01; n=7)
compared to control tumors (n=5). (E) RFA increases cleaved caspase 3+ cells in the
RFA side tumor compared to control (p<0.01) and non-RFA contralateral side tumors
(p<0.05). (F) RFA significantly increases the number of granzyme B+ cells in the RFA
side tumor compared to control (p<0.01) and non-RFA contralateral side tumors
(p<0.05). Scale bars are 50uM. One-way ANOVA was used for group comparison.
Figure 3. RFA local response increases C5/C5a and IL-23 secretion and neutrophil
infiltration. (A) RFA significantly elevates C5 and IL-23 on the RFA side tumors
(p<0.0001). An unpaired student's t-test was used to evaluate significance. (B) We
evaluated neutrophil abundance using IHC and quantified (C) number of neutrophils per
field using ImageJ software. We observed a significant increase in neutrophils in RFA
treated tumors (p<0.0001) and contralateral non-RFA side tumors (p<0.001) compared
to control tumors. One-way Anova was used for group comparison. (D)
Myeloperoxidase staining was used to study anti-tumor neutrophil abundance in RFA

treated and contralateral tumors. We observed MPO staining in areas with high density
of neutrophils (black arrows) indicating a prominent anti-tumor neutrophil response post
RFA.
Figure 4. RFA induces significant collagen deposition in RFA and contralateral/non-RFA
tumors. (A) Representative trichrome staining on control, RFA and non-RFA tumors. (B)
Representative CD31 immunohistochemistry staining on control, RFA and non-RFA
tumors. (C) ImageJ quantification of percent collagen+ tissue per field. RFA significantly
increases collagen deposition in both the RFA treated (p<0.001) and non-RFA treated
tumors (p<0.0001). One-way ANOVA was used for group comparison. (D) ImageJ
quantification of percent collagen CD31 + cells per field. RFA significantly increases
CD31 expression in both the RFA treated (p<0.05) and non-RFA treated tumors
(p<0.05). Unpaired student’s t test in Prism Graphpad software was used to compare
groups.
Figure 5. RFA ablation induces tumor microenvironment remodeling in human
pancreatic tumors. (A) Representative composite H&E staining of human pancreatic
cancer tumor showing both RFA-ablated and non-ablated areas. (B) H&E staining (Left)
at 4X of human pancreatic cancer tumor in RFA-ablated (Upper panel Figure i.) and
non-ablated (Lower panel Figure ii.) areas. Trichrome staining (Middle) at 4X of human
pancreatic cancer tumor in RFA-ablated (Upper panel Figure i) and non-ablated (Lower
panel Figure ii) areas. CD31 immunohistochemistry staining (Right) at 4X of human
pancreatic cancer tumor in RFA-ablated (Upper panel Figure i) and non-ablated (Lower
panel Figure ii) areas. (C) MPO immunohistochemistry staining of human pancreatic
cancer tumor in RFA-ablated (Left 10X) and non-ablated (Right 4X) areas. (D)
Granzyme B immunohistochemistry staining of human pancreatic cancer tumor in RFA-
ablated (Left 10X) and non-ablated (Right 4X) areas. Scale bars are 50uM.
Figure 6. RFA systemic response is associated with a significant induction of
anti-tumor M1 macrophages. To determine the abundance of immune cell infiltrates
on the contralateral side tumors, we used Imaging Mass Cytometry (IMC) and analyzed
three regions from the non-RFA treated contralateral side. (A) IMC fluorescent images
of contralateral tumors. (B) Table with Cluster and Cell Phenotype information of
Neighborhood analysis of IMC data. (C) tSNE plots of IMC clusters from non-RFA
contralateral tumors. (D) Neighborhood analysis of IMC data indicating Cluster 5 with
CD44+ cells (Green Box) is decreased is association with Cluster 6 (Ki67), Cluster 7
(CD4+), Cluster 8 (CD8+CD44+), Cluster 12 (Ly6G+CD11b+CD44+), Cluster 15
(CD11c+) and Cluster 23 (CD86+) cells. Similar patterns of association were observed
in PanCK+ cells (cluster 4) between groups. Cluster 19 with F480+CD44+ Macrophages
in non-RFA responding tumors colocalized with Clusters 4 and 5 (PanCK+ and
PanCK+CD44+ cells, respectively), Cluster 7 (Ki67+CD44+PanCK+ cells), Cluster 9
(CD8+CD44+ cells), Cluster 12 (Ly6G+CD11b+CD44+ cells) and Cluster 24 (PDL1+
cells). (E) IMC data quantification reveals a significant induction of F4/80+CD44+
macrophages (red box). *p<0.05; **p<0.01; ***p<0.001. A One-way ANOVA was used
for significance in Prism GraphPad Software.
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Faraoni_Figure 1
A
Responders C Non-Responders
B 6 ✱✱✱✱ ✱✱✱✱
6 ✱ ✱
5 5
FC Tumor Growth Rate
FC Tumor Growth Rate

4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
0 0
-1 Pre Post Pre Post -1 Pre Post Pre Post
RFA side non-RFA side RFA side non-RFA side
D ✱✱✱✱ ✱✱✱✱
E
6
Tumor Growth Rate
0
Pre Treatment Post
RFA-side non-RFA side
KPC Control tumors

F G KPC Control Tumors
✱ ✱
6
Tumor Growth Rate
0
Pre Treatment Post
(Sham)
A
RFA side
B Cleaved Caspase 3/Hematoxylin

Control RFA side non-RFA side
C Granzyme B/Hematoxylin
Control RFA side non-RFA side
D ✱✱
E ns F ns
100 100
✱✱ ✱
Percent Necrotic Area per Field
✱ ns 100
Cleaved Caspase3 + cells per field
GranzymeB + cells per field
✱✱ ✱
50 50
50
0 0 0
Control RFA non-RFA Control RFA non-RFA Control RFA non-RFA
side side side side side side
Faraoni_Figure 3
A B
C Control RFA side non-RFA side

Neutrophils/Hematoxylin
D
MPO/Hematoxylin
Faraoni_Figure 4
A Control RFA side non-RFA side

Trichrome Stain
B
CD31/Hematoxylin
C D
Faraoni_Figure 5
A B
Hematoxylin/Eosin
Ablation Area
Ablation Area
Non-Ablation Area
Non-Ablation Area
C D
Faraoni_Figure 6
A IMC Image non-RFA contralateral tumor
DNA/CD8a DNA/CD11b
DNA/F480 DNA/Ki67 DNA/PanCK
F
B C tSNE (non-RFA) D Neighborhood Analysis (non-RFA)
Cluster Phenotype
Cluster1 aSMA+
Cluster2 Endomucin+
Cluster3 PanCK+Endoumcin+
Cluster4 PanCK+
Cluster5 PanCK+CD44+
Cluster6 Ki67+
Cluster7 Ki67+CD44+PanCK+
Cluster8 CD4+
Cluster9 CD8+CD44+
Cluster10 CD8+CD44+PD1+
Cluster11 Ly6G+
Cluster12 Ly6G+CD11b+CD44+
Cluster13 Ly6C+
Cluster14 CD11b+ E
Cluster15 CD11c+
Cluster16 CD11c+CD44+
Cluster17 pSTAT1+CD44+
Cluster18 F480+
Cluster19 F480+CD44+
Cluster20 F480+CD44+CD11c+
Cluster21 B220+
Cluster22 CD44+
Cluster23 CD86+
Cluster24 PDL1+
Cluster25 Unknown
Treated Animals in Study: 17 n Percentage (%)
Overall Response (Either side) 14 82.35
No Response 3 17.65
Animals with Overall RFA-Response, n=14
Type of Response n Percentage (%)
Bilateral Response (100% response) 6 42.86
non-RFA side only 4 28.57
RFA-side only 4 28.57
Table 1. Animals treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and type of response.

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bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.07.475451; this version posted January 10, 2022.

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Radiofrequency ablation remodels the tumor microenvironment and promotes systemic

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

resistance to therapy. A major contributing factor to therapeutic failure is profound desmoplasia

and a well-documented hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME). In PDAC, several therapeutic

discovery and application of innovative treatments. Endoscopic ultrasound guided

radiofrequency ablation (EUS-RFA) is a promising immunomodulator therapy for PDAC. In this

analysis revealed a significant increase in expression of cleaved Caspase3 in RFA treated

vasculature; ablation induced necrosis

characterized by a prominent desmoplasia, which consists of cancer-associated

heterogeneous immune landscape of PDAC which includes the recruitment of immune

cells that secrete immunosuppressive factors, such as chemokines (CXC12), cytokines

confer inhibitory signals to the immune compartment and contribute to immune

evasion9. In some PDAC patients, an increase in tumor associated macrophages (TAM)

improve prognosis. Several therapeutic approaches, including chemotherapy and

innovative techniques 11,12.

Endoscopic ultrasound guided radiofrequency ablation (EUS-RFA) has the

techniques currently available for the treatment of a number of gastrointestinal

evaluated long-term outcomes of EUS-RFA in patients with advanced PDAC. EUS-RFA

combination with standard of care chemotherapy is a promising therapeutic strategy.

significant role in inhibiting tumor recurrence from residual micro metastases or

circulating tumor cells 20,21.

macrophages and tumor-associated neutrophils. Additionally, this study showed

suppress tumor growth. In contrast, our preliminary preclinical work involves a

allowing allografted tumors, either subcutaneously or orthotopically, retain a variable

degree of desmoplasia, which better resembles the histological appearance and

reduction in size was accompanied by significant upregulation of cleaved Caspase3

contralateral tumors and neighborhood analysis was used to observe spacial

localization of immune cell types with epithelium. Surprisingly, while we quantified a

significant increase in granzyme B in RFA treated tumors compared to controls, we did

not observe a significant increase in granzyme B in non-RFA contralateral tumors.

anti-tumor response, but tumor microenvironment remodeling and immunosuppressive

with locally advanced or metastatic disease remain limited. Current chemotherapy

regimens such as modified FOLFIRINOX or gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel have

recently a combination of TIGIT/PD-1 co-blockade in combination with CD40 agonism

elicited anti-tumor responses in pre-clinical studies 24.

To determine the effects of RFA in vivo, we established a syngeneic mouse model of

In RFA responsive tumors, successful RFA ablation abruptly induced a three FC

was observed in control Sham-treated tumors (Figure 1F, p=0.63). Unexpectedly, in

after RFA treatment (Figure 1C, p<0.01), irrespective of their location.

To assess potential histopathological similarities in local and systemic responses

markers in responsive tumors. Composite images of hematoxylin and eosin staining

evident differences between sides (Figures 2A and 2D). In non-responsive tumors, no

differences were found in necrotic area between groups (Figure S2B).

Conversely, immunohistochemistry staining of cleaved caspase 3, which is

similar necrotic induction after RFA ablation.

To determine the nature of RFA response in locally ablated tumors, we performed a

membrane-based antibody array in tumor homogenates and found that RFA

molecules to stimulate neutrophil recruitment, we assessed neutrophil tumor abundance

by immunohistochemistry and found it was significantly elevated in both RFA

(Figures 3B and 3C). Moreover, we also observed elevated myeloperoxidase (MPO)

staining in areas with high density of neutrophils indicating a prominent anti-tumor

As the immune system orchestrates key roles in neovascularization, collagen

deposition, tissue remodeling and is important to characterize for response to

and angiogenesis. We performed trichrome staining in KPC control tumors and

compared to control samples (Figures 4B and 4D), suggesting an active RFA-induced

RFA tumor microenvironment remodeling in human pancreatic tumors

the ablated region. Histopathological analysis of higher magnification RFA-ablated and