Takaaki Fujii1,2, Tomoko Hirakata3,2, Sasagu Kurozumi3,2, Shoko Tokuda3,2, Yuko Nakazawa3,2, Sayaka Obayashi3,2, Reina Yajima3,2, Tetsunari Oyama4, Ken Shirabe2. 1. Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Gunma, Japan ftakaaki@gunma-u.ac.jp. 2. Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Gunma, Japan. 3. Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Gunma, Japan. 4. Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Gunma, Japan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM: Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), an important angiogenic factor, has been reported to effect cancer growth and development. Recent reports indicated that anti-VEGF therapy has an important effect of enhancing anti-tumor immunity in various cancers. In the current study, we investigated the relationship between VEGF-A expression and immunological factors, including programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and the degrees of stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study enrolled 97 cases with invasive breast cancer who had undergone surgery without preoperative therapy. The grades of stromal-TILs were evaluated using the criteria of the International Working Group for TILs in breast cancer: low, intermediate, and high. VEGF-A and PD-L1 positivity were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between VEGF-A expression and the expression of PD-L1 and TILs was investigated. RESULTS: Among the 97 cases, 37 (38.1%) had positive VEGF-A expression in the breast tumor. We divided the cases in two groups based on the VEGF-A expression levels. The analysis revealed that PD-L1 positivity was significantly associated with VEGF-A expression in the breast tumor (29.7% vs. 10.0%, p=0.014). Among the cases with positive PD-L1, 36.7% of VEGF-positive cases and none of VEGF-negative cases had low TILs in the breast tumor. CONCLUSION: VEGF-A expression in breast cancer may reflect PD-L1 expression in the tumor. VEGF-A may act as a negative biomarker of TILs in PD-L1-positive breast cancer. Our results suggest that VEGF-A may be predictive of immunological features and may serve as a useful biomarker for immuno-targeting therapy in patients with breast cancer. Copyright
BACKGROUND/AIM: Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), an important angiogenic factor, has been reported to effect cancer growth and development. Recent reports indicated that anti-VEGF therapy has an important effect of enhancing anti-tumor immunity in various cancers. In the current study, we investigated the relationship between VEGF-A expression and immunological factors, including programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and the degrees of stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study enrolled 97 cases with invasive breast cancer who had undergone surgery without preoperative therapy. The grades of stromal-TILs were evaluated using the criteria of the International Working Group for TILs in breast cancer: low, intermediate, and high. VEGF-A and PD-L1 positivity were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between VEGF-A expression and the expression of PD-L1 and TILs was investigated. RESULTS: Among the 97 cases, 37 (38.1%) had positive VEGF-A expression in the breast tumor. We divided the cases in two groups based on the VEGF-A expression levels. The analysis revealed that PD-L1 positivity was significantly associated with VEGF-A expression in the breast tumor (29.7% vs. 10.0%, p=0.014). Among the cases with positive PD-L1, 36.7% of VEGF-positive cases and none of VEGF-negative cases had low TILs in the breast tumor. CONCLUSION: VEGF-A expression in breast cancer may reflect PD-L1 expression in the tumor. VEGF-A may act as a negative biomarker of TILs in PD-L1-positive breast cancer. Our results suggest that VEGF-A may be predictive of immunological features and may serve as a useful biomarker for immuno-targeting therapy in patients with breast cancer. Copyright
Authors: M V Dieci; C Criscitiello; A Goubar; G Viale; P Conte; V Guarneri; G Ficarra; M C Mathieu; S Delaloge; G Curigliano; F Andre Journal: Ann Oncol Date: 2015-07 Impact factor: 32.976
Authors: James Larkin; Vanna Chiarion-Sileni; Rene Gonzalez; Jean Jacques Grob; C Lance Cowey; Christopher D Lao; Dirk Schadendorf; Reinhard Dummer; Michael Smylie; Piotr Rutkowski; Pier F Ferrucci; Andrew Hill; John Wagstaff; Matteo S Carlino; John B Haanen; Michele Maio; Ivan Marquez-Rodas; Grant A McArthur; Paolo A Ascierto; Georgina V Long; Margaret K Callahan; Michael A Postow; Kenneth Grossmann; Mario Sznol; Brigitte Dreno; Lars Bastholt; Arvin Yang; Linda M Rollin; Christine Horak; F Stephen Hodi; Jedd D Wolchok Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2015-05-31 Impact factor: 91.245