Prognostic Significance of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes and the Tertiary Lymphoid Structures in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Treated With Adjuvant Trastuzumab.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have prognostic significance in breast cancer. The tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) is related to the influx of TILs, and expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I in tumor cells is necessary for the effective action of TILs.

METHODS:

We retrospectively evaluated the relationship of TILs and TLS and the expression of MHC I in 447 HER2-positive breast cancers treated with chemotherapy and 1 year of trastuzumab.

RESULTS:

TILs were more abundant in hormone receptor (HR)-/HER2+ tumors than in HR+/HER2+ tumors. HR-/HER2+ breast cancers with abundant TILs showed a higher histologic grade, the absence of lymphovascular invasion, the presence of peritumoral lymphocytic infiltration, moderate to abundant TLSs in adjacent tissue, and stronger HLA-ABC and HLA-A expression. Abundant TILs and the absence of lymphovascular invasion were found to be good, independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival in patients with HR-/HER2+ breast cancer. The level of TILs was not associated with the patients' prognosis in HR+ tumors.

CONCLUSIONS:

Abundant TILs are an independent prognostic factor in HR-/HER2+ breast cancers. Evaluation of TILs in HR-/HER2+ breast cancers may provide valuable information regarding the prognosis of patients treated using adjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab.

• Authors: Hee Jin Lee, Joo Young Kim, In Ah Park, In Hye Song, Jong Han Yu, Jin-Hee Ahn, Gyungyub Gong
• Journal: American journal of clinical pathology (Am J Clin Pathol) Vol. 144 Issue 2 Pg. 278-88 (Aug 2015) ISSN: 1943-7722 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 26185313 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright© by the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
• Antineoplastic Agents
• Histocompatibility Antigens Class I
• ERBB2 protein, human
• Receptor, ErbB-2
• Trastuzumab

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized (therapeutic use)
• Antineoplastic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Breast Neoplasms (drug therapy, mortality, pathology)
• Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
• Disease-Free Survival
• Female
• Histocompatibility Antigens Class I
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Kaplan-Meier Estimate
• Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating (pathology)
• Lymphoid Tissue (pathology)
• Middle Aged
• Prognosis
• Proportional Hazards Models
• Receptor, ErbB-2 (metabolism)
• Tissue Array Analysis
• Trastuzumab