Prognostic value of sTILs in young, node-negative, chemotherapy-naïve TNBC patients

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in young women (age < 40 years) has a poor prognosis. Adjuvant systemic therapy is indicated for most of these patients. Stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) have prognostic value in early TNBC; however, this has not been validated in young patients. Analysis of young patients with node-negative chemotherapy-naïve early TNBC in The Netherlands found that sTILs-level was a strong prognostic factor for 15-year overall survival and distant metastasis-free survival. The authors conclude that validation of this biomarker in prospective chemotherapy de-escalation trials should be considered.