Open AccessComparison of tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes between primary and metastatic tumors in breast cancer patients
Author(s) -
Ogiya Rin,
Niikura Naoki,
Kumaki Nobue,
Bianchini Giampaolo,
Kitano Shigehisa,
Iwamoto Takayuki,
Hayashi Naoki,
Yokoyama Kozue,
Oshitanai Risa,
Terao Mayako,
Morioka Toru,
Tsuda Banri,
Okamura Takuho,
Saito Yuki,
Suzuki Yasuhiro,
Tokuda Yutaka
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
cancer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 1347-9032
DOI - 10.1111/cas.13101
Subject(s) - medicine , tumor infiltrating lymphocytes , immunohistochemistry , breast cancer , primary tumor , metastatic breast cancer , metastasis , h&e stain , pathology , cancer , stromal cell , biopsy , oncology , immunotherapy
The presence of tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes ( TIL s) is associated with favorable long‐term outcome in breast cancer. However, little is known about changes in TIL s during metastatic progression. To confirm our hypothesis that malignant tumors escape from the host immune system during metastasis, we evaluated the percentage of TIL s in paired samples of primary and metastatic breast tumors. We retrospectively identified 25 patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor‐2 ( HER 2 + , n = 14) and triple negative ( TN , n = 11) early breast cancer diagnosed between 1990 and 2009 at Tokai University Hospital (Isehara, Japan) and who subsequently experienced regional or distant recurrence confirmed by tumor biopsy/resection. Hematoxylin–eosin‐stained slides of these paired samples were evaluated for stromal TIL s. Immunohistochemical staining was carried out using primary antibodies against CD 4, CD 8, Foxp3, programmed cell death ligand 1 ( PD ‐L1), PD ‐L2, and HLA class I for characterizing the TIL s and breast tumors. The percentage of TIL s in the primary tumors was significantly higher (average 34.6%) than that in metastatic tumors (average 15.7%) (paired t ‐test , P = 0.004) and that of CD 8 + and CD 4 + T cells significantly decreased from primary to metastatic tumors (paired t ‐test, P = 0.008 and P = 0.026, respectively). The PD ‐L1, PD ‐L2, and HLA class I antibody expression changed from positive to negative and vice versa from the primary to the metastatic tumors. Tumors at first metastatic recurrence in HER 2 + and TN breast cancers have a lower percentage of TIL s and CD 8 + and CD 4 + T cells compared to primary tumors, which indicates that immune escape plays a role in tumor progression.