Title:Therapeutic Potential of Lymphoid Infiltrates in Breast Cancer
Volume: 28
Issue: 25
Author(s): Xiao-Yang Chen and Puay Hoon Tan*
Affiliation:
- Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Lower Kent Ridge Road,Singapore
Keywords:
Breast cancer, immune evasion, immunotherapy, neoantigen, tumour infiltrating lymphocyte, TME.
Abstract: Despite diagnostic and therapeutic advances in breast cancer, it remains the
most frequently diagnosed malignancy in females, with the highest cancer-related mortality
rate in women globally. With an improved understanding of the complex interactions
between breast cancer and the immune system, immunotherapy has shown great potential
in clinical management, potentially adding to current treatment modalities. These immunotherapeutic
approaches include adoptive cell transfer therapy, cancer vaccination,
monoclonal antibody therapy, and oncolytic virus therapy. Depending on the immune
cells and cytokines present, the tumour microenvironment (TME) can be immunosuppressive
or favourable for mounting an immune response. Effector lymphocytes play an essential
role during an anticancer immune response, but their activities can be suppressed
by the hostile TME. Many studies have made good progress in the modulation of the immune
response to allow the identification and elimination of tumour cells. However, the
efficacy of these immunotherapies is patient-specific and highly dependent on the immunological
profile of the tumour and its TME. This review will give an overview of
breast cancer, the immune system as well as their complex relationship. Strategies and approaches
that can harness the potential of immunotherapy that engages lymphocytes in
the treatment of breast cancer, along with their current challenges, will also be discussed.
