https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3905-0238
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Abstract
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have shown prognostic value in breast cancer. This study evaluated the TILs scores in 186 Portuguese patients diagnosed with early breast cancer, with special focus on HER2 subtype. Stromal TILs were scored on the core needle biopsies, as well as in the resected specimen in HER2+ patients submitted to neoadjuvant treatment with trastuzumab and pertuzumab. TILs were higher in tumors with negative hormone receptor status and HER2 amplifications, and in triple-negative breast cancer. In HER2+ patients treated with dual anti-HER neoadjuvant therapy, the TILs score on the surgical specimen was generally lower than in the biopsy.
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Declaration of funding
This paper was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through projects UIDB/04567/2020 and UIDP/04567/2020 to CBIOS and Unidade de Apoio à Investigação – Departamento Ensino, Inovação e Investigação (DEII) do Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve. The funding institutions had no role in the study design, decision to submit the article, or preparation of the manuscript.
Declaration of financial/other relationships
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.
Acknowledgements
None.
Ethics statement
The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee at Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve and all patients provided written informed consent.