Tsengelmaa Jamiyan1,2, Hajime Kuroda3, Rin Yamaguchi4, Yoshimasa Nakazato1, Shuhei Noda1, Masato Onozaki1, Akihito Abe5,6, Mitsuhiro Hayashi5. 1. Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Tochigi, 321-0293, Japan. 2. Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulan Bator, Mongolia. 3. Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Tochigi, 321-0293, Japan. hajimek@dokkyomed.ac.jp. 4. Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Kurume University Medical Center, Kurume, Japan. 5. Breast Center, Dokkyo Medical University, Dokkyo, Japan. 6. Department of Surgery II, Dokkyo Medical University, Dokkyo, Japan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have recently been reported as an important factor in the tumor microenvironment and influence the growth and progression of cancer. However, the relationship between immune cell subpopulations, such as CD4+, CD8+, and FOXP3+, in breast cancer, especially in triple negative carcinoma (TNC), remains unclear. METHODS: The subjects were 107 patients with TNC that were surgically resected at Dokkyo Medical University Hospital between 2006 and 2018. The expression of CD4+, CD8+, and FOXP3+ was evaluated in TILs and expressed as the numbers of positive cells. RESULTS: Univariate analysis revealed that the TILs were not prognostically significant. In multivariate analyses, increased infiltration of intratumoral (i) CD4+ TILs was found to have a good prognosis in relapse-free survival (RFS). In contrast, a high stromal CD8+ TILs level was found to be a favorable prognostic factor in RFS (p = 0.038) and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.046). A low sFOXP3 + TILs level was significantly associated with favorable RFS (p < 0.001) and OS (p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated no difference in TILs and survival in TNC. However, there was a significant correlation in prognosis with levels of iCD4+, sCD8+, and sFOXP3 + TILs in TNC. The difference in TNC clinical outcome may be due to the subtype of the infiltrating TILs.
BACKGROUND:Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have recently been reported as an important factor in the tumor microenvironment and influence the growth and progression of cancer. However, the relationship between immune cell subpopulations, such as CD4+, CD8+, and FOXP3+, in breast cancer, especially in triple negative carcinoma (TNC), remains unclear. METHODS: The subjects were 107 patients with TNC that were surgically resected at Dokkyo Medical University Hospital between 2006 and 2018. The expression of CD4+, CD8+, and FOXP3+ was evaluated in TILs and expressed as the numbers of positive cells. RESULTS: Univariate analysis revealed that the TILs were not prognostically significant. In multivariate analyses, increased infiltration of intratumoral (i) CD4+ TILs was found to have a good prognosis in relapse-free survival (RFS). In contrast, a high stromal CD8+ TILs level was found to be a favorable prognostic factor in RFS (p = 0.038) and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.046). A low sFOXP3 + TILs level was significantly associated with favorable RFS (p < 0.001) and OS (p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated no difference in TILs and survival in TNC. However, there was a significant correlation in prognosis with levels of iCD4+, sCD8+, and sFOXP3 + TILs in TNC. The difference in TNC clinical outcome may be due to the subtype of the infiltrating TILs.
Entities:
Keywords:
Breast; CD4; CD8; FOXP3; Triple negative cancer