Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and breast cancer: Beyond the prognostic and predictive utility
Andrea Ravelli,
Giandomenico Roviello,
Daniele Cretella,
Andrea Cavazzoni,
Alessandra Biondi,
Maria Rosa Cappelletti,
Laura Zanotti,
Giuseppina Ferrero,
Marco Ungari,
Fabrizio Zanconati,
Alberto Bottini,
Roberta Alfieri,
Pier Giorgio Petronini,
Daniele Generali
Affiliations
Andrea Ravelli
Unit of Experimental Oncology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy
Giandomenico Roviello
Section of Pharmacology and University Center DIFF—Drug Innovation Forward Future, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
Daniele Cretella
Unit of Experimental Oncology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy
Andrea Cavazzoni
Unit of Experimental Oncology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy
Alessandra Biondi
Unit of Experimental Oncology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy
Maria Rosa Cappelletti
UO Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria, US Terapia Molecolare e Farmacogenomica, AO Azienda Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Cremona, Italy
Laura Zanotti
UO Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria, US Terapia Molecolare e Farmacogenomica, AO Azienda Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Cremona, Italy
Giuseppina Ferrero
Department of Anatomical Pathology, AO Azienda Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Cremona, Italy
Marco Ungari
Department of Anatomical Pathology, AO Azienda Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Cremona, Italy
Fabrizio Zanconati
Department of Medical, Surgery and Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Trieste, Trieste, Italy
Alberto Bottini
UO Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria, US Terapia Molecolare e Farmacogenomica, AO Azienda Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Cremona, Italy
Roberta Alfieri
Unit of Experimental Oncology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy
Pier Giorgio Petronini
Unit of Experimental Oncology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy
Daniele Generali
Department of Medical, Surgery and Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Trieste, Trieste, Italy
The importance of the immune system as a potent anti-tumor defense has been consolidated in recent times, and novel immune-related therapies are today demonstrating a strong clinical benefit in the setting of several solid neoplasms. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes reflect the attempt of the host to eradicate malignancies, and during the last decades, they have been shown to possess an interesting prognostic utility for breast cancer, especially in case of HER2 positive and triple-negative molecular subtypes. In parallel, the clinical evaluation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes has been shown to effectively predict treatment outcomes in both neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. Currently, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are promising further predictive utility in view of novel immune-related therapeutic strategies which are coming into the clinical setting launching a solid rationale for the future next-generation treatment options. In this scenario, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes might represent an important resource for the selection of the most appropriate therapeutic strategy, as well as further evaluations of the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and the immunoediting process would eventually provide new insights to augment therapeutic success. Considering these perspectives, we review the potential utility of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in the definition of breast cancer prognosis and in the prediction of treatment outcomes, along with the new promising molecular-based therapeutic discoveries.