Host Immunity and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Stromal lymphocytic infiltration may be a prognostic marker in TNBC.

Recent data suggest that antitumor immunity, manifested by the presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), may play an important role in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Prior work has also shown that TILs are more commonly found in high-proliferation breast tumors (TNBC and HER2-positive) and that the presence of TILs is correlated with pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant therapy and with improvement in clinical outcome after adjuvant chemotherapy.

To corroborate these findings, investigators evaluated independent data from two Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group trials assessing adjuvant chemotherapy regimens for early-stage breast cancer: E2197 compared doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide versus docetaxel …

Reviewing Author

William J. Gradishar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardLilly; AstraZeneca; Gilead

Grant/Research SupportBreast Cancer Research Foundation

Editorial BoardsClinical Breast Cancer; Oncology; Annals of Surgery; Breast Cancer Research and Treatment

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNational Comprehensive Cancer Network (Chair, Breast Cancer Panel); American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology Board)