title: Expression of NY-ESO-1 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Is Associated with Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes and a Good Prognosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Accumulating evidence suggests that immunotherapy has great potential for treating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). We analyzed the expression of NY-ESO-1, which is a potent immunogenic cancer testis antigen, and its association with clinicopathological factors in large cohorts of breast cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 623 consecutive breast cancer patients who underwent surgery between 1993 and 1998 and 612 TNBC patients who underwent surgery between 2004 and 2010 at Asan Medical Center were included. Immunohistochemical staining for NY-ESO-1 was performed using tissue microarrays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NY-ESO-1 was expressed in 2.6% of consecutive breast cancers, all of which were TNBC (p < 0.001). NY-ESO-1 expression was identified in 9.7% of the TNBC cohort and was significantly correlated with a higher level of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL; p = 0.026). In survival analyses, a lower level of TIL (all, p < 0.001) and the absence of NY-ESO-1 expression (p = 0.024) were significantly associated with poor disease-free survival. Additionally, positive NY-ESO-1 expression was an independent favorable prognostic factor in TNBC patients (p = 0.046).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NY-ESO-1 is specifically expressed in TNBC, and NY-ESO-1 expression is an independent good prognostic factor in TNBC. Evaluation of NY-ESO-1 expression in TNBC might be useful for selecting patients who may benefit from vaccination therapy and also has a prognostic significance in TNBC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joo Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: In Hye
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: In Ah
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jong Han
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Gyungyub
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gong
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000473:pathology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis; D064726:Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C104948:CTAG1B protein, human; D008565:Membrane Proteins