1. Prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILS) and their association with clinicopathological features in breast cancer: A retrospective study involving 53 cases
- Author
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Dhouha Bacha, A Lahmar, Oussama Belkacem, Sana Ben Slama, Mohamed Dhia Zran, and Nabil Rahoui
- Subjects
Oncology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,business.industry ,Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes ,Lymphocyte ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Estrogen receptor ,hemic and immune systems ,chemical and pharmacologic phenomena ,Retrospective cohort study ,medicine.disease ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Breast cancer ,Internal medicine ,Carcinoma ,Medicine ,Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging ,Surgery ,skin and connective tissue diseases ,business ,Breast carcinoma ,Lymph node - Abstract
Objective Quantitative analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is currently considered as a prognostic factor in several malignant tumors. The aim of our study was to assess the prognostic value of TILs in breast cancers and its association with other clinicopathological prognostic factors in non-specific type (NST) breast carcinoma in Tunisian population. Methods Retrospective study included 53 women with NST breast carcinoma. The data were collected over a period of 13 months with a follow-up of 40 months for all the patients. The TILs were evaluated according to the 2014 recommendations of the international working group on TILs. Results TILs level was between 3% and 60% with mean of 21%. Ten patients had lymphocyte predominant breast cancer (LPBC). Statistical analysis had shown that the TILs level ≤50% was associated with the presence of vascular emboli and the absence of HER2 amplification. Inflammatory-type carcinoma and HER2 amplification significantly worsened OS. Presence of vascular emboli, lymph node metastases, inflammatory type of carcinoma, TILs ≤50%, and absence of estrogen receptors (ER) were associated with reduced RFS . In multivariate analysis, the presence of vascular emboli was an independent factor for OS. TILs ≤50%, inflammatory type of carcinoma and presence of vascular emboli were independent risk factors for RFS. Conclusion This Tunisian pilot study showed higher level of TILs in NST breast carcinomas is associated with improved RFS. The therapeutic implications will benefit from multiple research studies including ours on the predictive value of TILs for neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment.
- Published
- 2022