Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33238978›Full record

SynthesisBMC cancer2020

Predictive and prognostic role of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in breast cancer patients with different molecular subtypes: a meta-analysis.

Zhao-Hua Gao, Cun-Xin Li, Ming Liu, Jia-Yuan Jiang

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC cancer, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 90 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
90citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

90 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. The prognostic values of FOXP3Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2023
    Pooled it
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  17. Can neoadjuvant chemotherapy be replaced with immune checkpoint blockade combined with dual anti-HER2 antibodies for HER2-enriched breast cancer?Translational breast cancer research : a journal focusing on translational research in breast cancer · 2026
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30 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Zhao-Hua GaoDepartment of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, No.44 Xiaoheyan Road, Dadong District, Shenyang, 110042, Liaoning Province, P.R. China. gooscigol@163.com.
Cun-Xin LiDepartment of Breast Surgery, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, No.44 Xiaoheyan Road, Dadong District, Shenyang, 110042, Liaoning Province, P.R. China.
Ming LiuDepartment of Breast Surgery, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, No.44 Xiaoheyan Road, Dadong District, Shenyang, 110042, Liaoning Province, P.R. China.
Jia-Yuan JiangDepartment of Breast Surgery, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, No.44 Xiaoheyan Road, Dadong District, Shenyang, 110042, Liaoning Province, P.R. China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWhether tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) play different roles in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer remains unknown. Additionally, their prognostic and predictive value in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer is still controversial. The aim of our meta-analysis was to assess the prognostic and predictive value of TILs in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer by summarizing all relevant studies performing multivariate analysis.

methodsPubMed, Embase, EBSCO, ScienceDirect, the Cochrane Database and Web of Science were comprehensively searched (until March 2020). Hazard ratios (HRs), odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used as effect measures to perform our meta-analysis. A random effect model was used. Stata software, version 15 (2017) (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA) was used to perform the statistical analysis.

resultsThirty-three studies including 18,170 eligible breast cancer patients were analysed. The meta-analysis showed that high TIL expression was significantly associated with increased pathological complete response (pCR) rates after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with the HER2-enriched molecular subtype (OR = 1.137, 95% CI [1.061 ~ 1.218], p < 0.001) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype (OR = 1.120, 95% CI [1.061 ~ 1.182], p < 0.001). However, high TIL expression was not significantly associated with high pCR rates after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with the luminal molecular subtype of breast cancer (OR = 1.154, 95% CI [0.789 ~ 1.690], p = 0.460). We carried out a meta-analysis on the HRs of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) to assess the prognostic value of TILs in breast cancer with different molecular subtypes more deeply. Our meta-analysis confirmed that high TILs were associated with significantly improved DFS in patients with the HER2-enriched molecular subtype [HR = 0.940, 95% CI (0.903 ~ 0.979), p = 0.003] and TNBC molecular subtype [HR = 0.907, 95% CI (0.862 ~ 0.954), p < 0.001]. However, high TILs were not associated with significantly better DFS in patients with the luminal molecular subtype of breast cancer [HR = 0.998, 95% CI (0.977 ~ 1.019), p = 0.840]. Furthermore, the results confirmed that high TILs were significantly related to better OS in patients with the HER2-enriched molecular subtype [HR = 0.910, 95% CI (0.866 ~ 0.957), p < 0.001] and TNBC molecular subtype [HR = 0.869, 95% CI (0.836 ~ 0.904), p < 0.001]. Conversely, the summarized results indicated that high TILs were significantly associated with poor OS in patients with the luminal molecular subtype of breast cancer [HR = 1.077, 95% CI (1.016 ~ 1.141), p = 0.012].

conclusionsOur meta-analysis confirms that high TILs are associated with favourable survival and predicts pCR in breast cancer patients with the TNBC and HER2-enriched molecular subtypes.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsBiomarkers, TumorBreast NeoplasmsCarcinoma, Ductal, BreastCarcinoma, LobularErb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine KinasesFemaleHumansLymphocytes, Tumor-InfiltratingNeoadjuvant TherapyPrognosisReceptors, EstrogenReceptors, ProgesteroneBiomarkers, TumorERBB2 protein, humanErb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine KinasesReceptors, EstrogenReceptors, ProgesteroneBreast cancerMeta-analysisMolecular subtypePredictionPrognosisTumour-infiltrating lymphocytes

Identifiers

PMID33238978
PMCPMC7690150

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.