Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41912594›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

M2 macrophages predict response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple negative breast cancer patients.

Wei-Xian Chen, Mei Yang, Quan-Feng Shao, Bei Zhu, Jiao Xue, Lin Zheng, Xi-Hu Qin, Chun-Jian Qi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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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

8 authors.

Wei-Xian ChenDepartment of Breast Surgery, Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 468 Yanling Mid Road, Changzhou, 213000, Jiangsu Province, China. chenweixian@njmu.edu.cn.
Mei YangDepartment of Breast Surgery, Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 468 Yanling Mid Road, Changzhou, 213000, Jiangsu Province, China.
Quan-Feng ShaoDepartment of Breast Surgery, Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 468 Yanling Mid Road, Changzhou, 213000, Jiangsu Province, China.
Bei ZhuDepartment of Breast Surgery, Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 468 Yanling Mid Road, Changzhou, 213000, Jiangsu Province, China.
Jiao XueDepartment of Breast Surgery, Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 468 Yanling Mid Road, Changzhou, 213000, Jiangsu Province, China.
Lin ZhengDepartment of Breast Surgery, Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 468 Yanling Mid Road, Changzhou, 213000, Jiangsu Province, China.
Xi-Hu QinDepartment of Breast Surgery, Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 468 Yanling Mid Road, Changzhou, 213000, Jiangsu Province, China.
Chun-Jian QiClinical Cancer Research Center, Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, 213000, Jiangsu Province, China. dhczey@163.com.

Funding

the Excellent Post-doctoral Program of Jiangsu Province 2022ZB820the Post-doctoral Foundation of China 2022M720543 and 2019M661677the Post-doctoral Foundation of Jiangsu Province 2019K161the Top Talent of Changzhou ''The 14th Five-Year Plan'' High-Level Health Talents Training Project 2022CZBJ065
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Macrophages, the predominant immune-related stromal cells within tumor microenvironment, could be polarized into M1 and alternative M2 macrophages. M1 macrophages are pro-inflammatory and eliminate cancer cells, whereas M2 macrophages are immunosuppressive and facilitate tumor growth. Mounting evidence has shown that M2 macrophages are responsible for a poor prognosis in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients. Since neoadjuvant chemotherapy is becoming the foundation treatment for TNBC, the relationship between M2 macrophages and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy remains to be elucidated. Infiltration of M2 macrophages were checked by analyzing the CD163 levels on surgical resection specimens from 42 Chinese TNBC patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Evaluation of M2 macrophages together with other immune markers including CD8-positive cytotoxic T cells and PD-L1 expression in TNBC and its association with pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were performed. Pathological complete response (pCR) was significantly associated with younger age, higher tumor or stromal PD-L1 expression, higher levels of tumor or stromal CD8-positive cytotoxic T cells, but lower infiltration of CD163-positive M2 macrophages, with the level of CD163-positive M2 macrophages in stromal area as the strongest factor. Our study showed that high infiltration of CD163-positive M2 macrophages was negatively associated with the chemotherapeutic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in Chinese TNBC patients and could be used as a promising prognostic candidate for Chinese TNBC patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Indexed as

MacrophagesNeoadjuvant TherapyTriple Negative Breast NeoplasmsAdultAgedAntigens, CDAntigens, Differentiation, MyelomonocyticB7-H1 AntigenCD163 AntigenFemaleHumansMiddle AgedPathologic Complete ResponsePrognosisReceptors, Cell SurfaceTumor MicroenvironmentAntigens, CDAntigens, Differentiation, MyelomonocyticB7-H1 AntigenCD163 AntigenCD274 protein, humanReceptors, Cell SurfaceM2 macrophagesNeoadjuvant chemotherapyPD-L1Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC)Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes

Identifiers

PMID41912594
PMCPMC13040029

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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.