ArticleBreast cancer research : BCR2020
Quantitative stain-free imaging and digital profiling of collagen structure reveal diverse survival of triple negative breast cancer patients.
Article in Breast cancer research : BCR, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association between tumor-stromal collagen features and the clinical outcomes of patients with breast cancer: a systematic review.Breast cancer research : BCR · 2025Pooled it
- A Nomogram Based on a Collagen Feature Support Vector Machine for Predicting the Treatment Response to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Rectal Cancer Patients.Annals of surgical oncology · 2021Trial
- Targeting cytokine/chemokine signaling to convert immunologically cold tumors into hot: Emerging strategies in cancer immunotherapy.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2026Review
- Integrated Collagen Architecture and Composition Improve Risk Stratification in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Whole-slide mapping of tumor tissue fiber architecture via computational scattered light imaging.Biomedical optics express · 2026Article
- Features of the spatial organization and qualitative composition of the collagen matrix in prostate cancer.Journal of molecular histology · 2026Article
- Prognostic value of nuclear features based on tumor-associated collagen signatures in breast cancer.NPJ breast cancer · 2025Article
- Development of breast-mimicking phantoms for use in optical coherence elastography.Journal of biomedical optics · 2025Article
- Deep learning-enabled multiphoton microscopy predicts colorectal cancer recurrence from routine FFPE specimens.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Multimodal tumor microenvironment signature of colorectal cancer for prediction prognosis and chemotherapy benefit.NPJ precision oncology · 2025Article
- Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Collagen Remodeling in Mammary Carcinomas: A Comparative Analysis in Dogs and Humans.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Utility of photoacoustic patterns in intra-operative margin assessment of breast cancer post neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Photoacoustics · 2025Article
- Quantitative Stain-Free Conjunctival Collagen Imaging in Cicatrizing Conjunctivitis Using Second Harmonic Generation-Two Photon Excitation Technology.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025Article
- Geometric characteristics of stromal collagen fibres in breast cancer using differential interference contrast microscopy.Journal of microscopy · 2025Article
- FIRM image analysis: A machine learning workflow for quantifying extracellular matrix components from electron microscopy images.PloS one · 2025Article
- Quantitative Histopathology Analysis Based on Label-free Multiphoton Imaging for Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Response Assessment.International journal of biological sciences · 2025Article
- Comparative evaluation of collagen modifications in breast cancer in human and canine carcinomas.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Prognostic significance of collagen signatures at breast tumor boundary obtained by combining multiphoton imaging and imaging analysis.Cellular oncology (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2024Article
- Nonlinear microscopy and deep learning classification for mammary gland microenvironment studies.Biomedical optics express · 2023Article
- Quantitative image-based collagen structural features predict the reversibility of hepatitis C virus-induced liver fibrosis post antiviral therapies.Scientific reports · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundStromal and collagen biology has a significant impact on tumorigenesis and metastasis. Collagen is a major structural extracellular matrix component in breast cancer, but its role in cancer progression is the subject of historical debate. Collagen may represent a protective layer that prevents cancer cell migration, while increased stromal collagen has been demonstrated to facilitate breast cancer metastasis.
methodsStromal remodeling is characterized by collagen fiber restructuring and realignment in stromal and tumoral areas. The patients in our study were diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in Singapore General Hospital from 2003 to 2015. We designed novel image processing and quantification pipelines to profile collagen structures using numerical imaging parameters. Our solution differentiated the collagen into two distinct modes: aggregated thick collagen (ATC) and dispersed thin collagen (DTC).
resultsExtracted parameters were significantly associated with bigger tumor size and DCIS association. Of numerical parameters, ATC collagen fiber density (CFD) and DTC collagen fiber length (CFL) were of significant prognostic value for disease-free survival and overall survival for the TNBC patient cohort. Using these two parameters, we built a predictive model to stratify the patients into four groups.
conclusionsOur study provides a novel insight for the quantitation of collagen in the tumor microenvironment and will help predict clinical outcomes for TNBC patients. The identified collagen parameters, ATC CFD and DTC CFL, represent a new direction for clinical prognosis and precision medicine. We also compared our result with benign samples and DICS samples to get novel insight about the TNBC heterogeneity. The improved understanding of collagen compartment of TNBC may provide insights into novel targets for better patient stratification and treatment.
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