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Table 2 A summary of the studies investigating a correlation between the extent of TIL infiltrate and responses to neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer

From: Relevance of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in breast cancer

Breast cancer subtype (Number of patients)

TILs predictive of pCR?

TILs predictive of disease-free or overall survival?

Reference

Chemotherapy used

All patients (56)

Yes

ND

[60]

Anthracycline/taxane or epirubicin, cyclophosphamide, and capecitabine

All patients (73)

Yes

ND

[139]

Anthracycline/taxane based

ER+/PR+ (659)

Yes

ND

[59]

Anthracycline/cyclophosphamide/taxane

ER−PR− (266)

Yes

ND

All patients (1334)

 

Yes (total or distant stromal CD8+)

[75]

Cyclophosphamide/methotrexate/fluorouracil

ER+ (911)

 

No (intratumoral or adjacent stroma CD8+)

ER− (485)

 

No (total CD8+)

HER2+ (169)

 

Yes (total CD8+)

HER2− (1106)

 

No (total CD8+)

Yes (total CD8+)

ER− (268)

Yes

Yes

[38]

Fluorouracil/epirubicin/cyclophosphamide or docetaxel and docetaxel plus epirubicin

One cohort of 113, one of 255

All patients (3403)

 

No

[140]

Adjuvant systemic therapy

ER− (927)

 

Yes

ER+ (2456)

 

No

HER2+ (216)

 

No

TNBC (535)

 

Yes

All patients (180)

Yes

ND

[37]

Anthracycline/cyclophosphamide or cyclophosphamide/epirubicin/5-fluorouracil

TNBC (82)

Yes

ND

HER2+ER−PR− (42)

No

ND

HER2−ER+/PR+ (46)

No

ND

All patients (845)

Yes

ND

[61]

Meta-analysis: anthracycline with or without taxane-based NAC

ER−HER2−

Yes

ND

HER2+ (116)

Yes

ND

ER+Her2−

Yes

ND

All patients (68)

Yes

ND

[141]

Anthracycline and/or taxane-based treatment

All patients (180)

Yes

ND

[71]

Paclitaxel then fluorouracil/epirubicin/cyclophosphamide

HER2− (313)

Yes

ND

[63]

Anthracycline/taxane

All patients (2009)

ND

No

[39]

Doxorubicin followed by three cycles of cyclophosphamide/methotrexate/fluorouracil

ER−/HER2− (1079)

ND

No

HER2+ (297)

ND

No

TNBC (256)

ND

Yes

All patients (153)

Yes

ND

[72]

Anthracycline and/or taxane-based treatment

TNBC (38)

Yes

Non-TNBC (115)

Yes (If CD8+ component analyzed), No if CD4+ analyzed

All patients (175)

Yes

ND

[73]

Anthracycline and/or taxane-based treatment or herceptin+NAC

All patients (12439)

ND

ND

[142]

Cyclophosphamide/methotrexate/fluorouracil or epirubicin plus fluorouracil

ER− (3591)

ND

Yes

ER+ (8775)

ND

No

ER+HER2+ (772)

ND

Yes

All patients (934)

ND

No

[65]

Docetaxel or vinorelbine, followed by three cycles of fluorouracil/epirubicin/cyclophosphamide

ER+HER2− (591)

ND

No

HER2+ (209)

ND

No

TNBC (134)

ND

Yes

TNBC (278)

Yes

Yes

[64]

Anthracycline-based neoadjuvant or anthracycline/taxane

TNBC (47)

Yes

ND

[143]

Panitumumab plus anthracycline/taxane-based chemotherapy

TNBC (481)

ND

Yes

[66]

Doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide and taxol/docetaxol

All patients (580)

Yes

ND

[41]

Anthracycline/taxane with or without carboplatin

TNBC (314)

Yes

ND

HER2+ (266)

Yes

  1. ER estrogen receptor, HER2 human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, NAC neoadjuvant chemotherapy, ND not determined, PR progesterone receptor, TNBC triple negative breast cancer