Association of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte abundance with survival without chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer

The association of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) abundance in breast cancer tissue with cancer recurrence and death in patients with early-stage triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) who are not treated with adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy is unclear. A retrospective pooled analysis of individual patient data from 13 centers in Asia, Europe, and North America found that among TNBC patients who are treated with locoregional therapy but without adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 5-year survival rates were 90% for patients with a TIL level of 50% or greater, compared with 72% for patients with an TIL level of less than 30%. The authors conclude that in patients with early-stage TNBC treated with locoregional therapy only, higher TIL levels in breast cancer tissue were associated with improved survival.