Intratumoral SPP1+BCL2A1+ Tumor-Associated Macrophages Predict Poor Response to PD1 Blockade

Background/Objectives: Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has emerged as a promising therapeutic option for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet reliable biomarkers to predict clinical outcomes remain limited. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are increasingly recognized as key regulators of the tumor immune microenvironment. Methods: We interrogated a publicly available HCC single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) dataset to characterize intratumoral immune cell subpopulations. Through unsupervised clustering and gene signature analysis, we identified a distinct subset of SPP1 (secreted phosphoprotein 1, also known as osteopontin) and BCL2A1 (Bcl-2-related protein A1) double-positive TAMs. Their abundance was quantified and associated with patient outcomes. Further independent HCC transcriptomic datasets with annotated PD1-based ICB response status were used for examination. Results: Across the discovery (GSE149614; n = 10) cohort, elevated expression of intratumoral SPP1⁺BCL2A1⁺ TAMs was identified in HCC. In the ICB datasets (GSE151530; n = 4), patients with high SPP1⁺BCL2A1⁺ TAM expression further exhibited significantly poorer responses to ICB therapy. Further, the validation cohort (GSE206325; n = 18) confirmed these findings accordingly. Notably, these TAMs were expressed thoroughly within the immunosuppressive T-cell microenvironment in non-responders but were distinctly expressed among the cytotoxic T-cell responses in responders. Conclusions: Our findings identify SPP1⁺BCL2A1⁺ TAMs as a poor prognostic biomarker in HCC patients undergoing ICB therapy. By promoting an immunosuppressive microenvironment, SPP1⁺BCL2A1⁺ TAMs, which are survival-advantaged, may represent both a predictive marker and a potential therapeutic target to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy. © 2025 by the authors.