A conserved eIF1A+ luminal cell-centered hypoxic and “cold” tumor microenvironment promotes pan-subtype prostate cancer progression

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a malignancy with high heterogeneity arising from tumor microenvironment and histological subtypes. Identifying conserved progression drivers within such heterogeneity is essential for improving clinical outcomes. Using imaging mass cytometry, this study analyzes 38 proteins across paracancerous tissue and four histological subtypes: low-grade prostate acinar adenocarcinoma (LgPAC), high-grade PAC (HgPAC), intraductal carcinoma (IDC), and ductal adenocarcinoma (DAC). Results reveal that eIF1A is overexpressed in high-risk subtypes including HgPAC, IDC, and DAC and correlates with poor prognosis. In luminal cells, EIF1A knockdown and the translation inhibitor homoharringtonine (HHT) both suppress HIF-1α translation and tumor growth, while promoting infiltration of anticancer immune cells including PD-1 − T cells and CD163 − macrophages. Clinically, neoadjuvant HHT combined with androgen deprivation therapy reduces hypoxia and enhances immune cell infiltration, as shown by single-cell RNA sequencing. Collectively, this work defines conserved molecular features across PCa subtypes, providing promising insights for clinical management. This study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT06834321 ). • In situ proteomic profiling delineates spatial landscapes in PCa histological subtypes • Activation of eIF1A-translation-HIF-1α axis is conserved across high-risk PCa subtypes • eIF1A + luminal cells reside in an immunologically “cold” microenvironment • Targeting eIF1A and translation holds potential for clinical intervention in PCa Cheng et al. describe the conserved features across different histological subtypes of prostate cancer at proteomic level using imaging mass cytometry. Spatial analyses indicate that eIF1A + luminal cells are associated with hypoxia response and immunologically “cold” microenvironment. Targeting eIF1A and translation holds potential for clinical intervention in prostate cancer.