title: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes predict prognosis of breast cancer patients treated with anti-Her-2 therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Infiltration of tumor associated lymphocytes and count of its different phenotypes are potentially new independent predictor of prognosis in breast cancer. However, research related to it is less reported in breast cancer patients treated with anti-Her-2 therapy. Thus, we evaluated the relationship between survival and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes including its different phenotypes in tumors of such patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1999 and 2010, 98 patients diagnosed with primary breast cancer and treated with anti-Her-2 therapy at Sun-Yat-Sen University Cancer Center were included in the study. Biopsy specimens were collected post-operation but before chemotherapy. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes as well as its FOXP3+, CD68+, IL-17+ phenotypes in both intratumoral and stromal sites and expression of FOXP3 in cancer cells were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median follow-up time of 98 patients was 83.3 months (range 7.4-201 months). It suggested that patients with high stromal infiltration of TILs, lower count of FOXP3+ Tregs and CD68+ Mφ in stromal site, and high expression of FOXP3 in cancer cells had longer survival of OS. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, high count of intratumoral CD68+ Mφ [HR: 2.70 (1.00-7.31); p=0.050] and high expression of FOXP3 in cancer cells [HR: 0.29 (0.09-0.91); p=0.034] were independent prognostic factors for overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes as well as its FOXP3+, CD68+ phenotypes in stromal site, and expression of FOXP3 in cancer cells were significantly associated with OS, suggesting that they can be used as important pathological factor predicting prognosis of breast cancer patients treated with anti-Her-2 therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Affiliated Hui Zhou Municipal Central Hospital & Training Base for Masters of Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Huicheng District, Huizhou, Guangdong 516000, P. R. China.|Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Tan-Huan
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ying-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yu-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Cong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ying-Fei
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Affiliated Hui Zhou Municipal Central Hospital & Training Base for Masters of Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Huicheng District, Huizhou, Guangdong 516000, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yan-Xia
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000378:metabolism; D000074322:Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000378:metabolism; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000068878:Trastuzumab / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000097382:CD68 Molecule
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic; D000074322:Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D020381:Interleukin-17; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000068878:Trastuzumab; C067980:CD68 antigen, human; D000097382:CD68 Molecule; C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human
keywords: TILs; anti-Her-2 therapy; breast cancer; prognosis