title: A role for T-lymphocytes in human breast cancer and in canine mammary tumors.
abstract: Chronic inflammation in the tumor microenvironment has a prominent role in carcinogenesis and benefits the proliferation and survival of malignant cells, promoting angiogenesis and metastasis. Mammary tumors are frequently infiltrated by a heterogeneous population of immune cells where T-lymphocytes have a great importance. Interestingly, similar inflammatory cell infiltrates, cytokine and chemokine expression in humans and canine mammary tumors were recently described. However, in both species, despite all the scientific evidences that appoint for a significant role of T-lymphocytes, a definitive conclusion concerning the effectiveness of T-cell dependent immune mechanisms has not been achieved yet. In the present review, we describe similarities between human breast cancer and canine mammary tumors regarding tumor T-lymphocyte infiltration, such as relationship of TILs and mammary tumors malignancy, association of ratio CD4+/ CD8+ T-cells with low survival rates, promotion of tumor progression by Th2 cells actions, and association of great amounts of Treg cells with poor prognostic factors. This apparent parallelism together with the fact that dogs develop spontaneous tumors in the context of a natural immune system highlight the dog as a possible useful biological model for studies in human breast cancer immunology.
authors.affiliation: CECAV, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
authors.forename: Maria Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: CECAV, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.affiliation: CECAV, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
authors.forename: Justina
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3902-5374
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prada
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal ; Center for the Study of Animal Sciences (CECA), University of Porto, Porto, 4480 Vila do Conde, Portugal ; Center for Research and Technology of Agro-Environment and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
authors.forename: Felisbina L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Queiroga
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000276:immunology; D015674:Mammary Neoplasms, Animal / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*