Background

Immunotherapy for breast cancer is now being seriously considered, despite past beliefs that this cancer type was non-immunogenic. Immune profiling has been variably associated with outcome, but standard techniques have greatly limited interpretation. These studies examine immune profiling of breast cancer patients using high-sensitivity methods in relation to clinical outcome.

Methods

High-sensitivity detection and analysis methods were used to determine Immune Profiles of female human breast cancer in Tumour Infiltrating Leukocytes (TIL) in longitudinal cohort comparative outcome studies.

Results

Immune profiles showed predominantly CD3, CD4, CD45RO TIL with low/absent IL-2a receptor expression. However, these were significantly correlated to 5- and 10-year survival times.

Conclusions

Immune profiling of the TIL infiltrate in human breast carcinoma using high-sensitivity detection and analysis techniques showed predominance of CD3 cells, being ab-TCR, CD4 T cells of mainly memory phenotype. Importantly, these findings were strongly predictive of 5- and 10-year survival. This indicates the real possibility that TIL infiltration in breast cancer might be open to immunological manipulation therapeutically to improve clinical outcome.