Luminal A breast cancers are generally associated with low metastatic potential and good prognosis. However, there is a proportion of patients, who present with metastases in lymph nodes. The aim of our study was to determine the association between the number of positive lymph nodes and infiltrates of tumor-associated cytotoxic CD8 + (CTLs), regulatory FOXP3 + T cells (Tregs), as well as other prognostic factors. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for CD8 + and FOXP3 + was performed in 87 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded primary breast cancer tissues, and cell infiltrate was assessed under light microscope. We observed that node-positive cases were associated with higher numbers of Treg cells and lower CTL/Treg ratio. There was also an inverse correlation between the CTL/Treg ratio and the number of metastatic lymph nodes. Similar relationships were found between the number of metastatic lymph nodes and Treg density or CTL/Treg ratio in pT1 BC. An elevated intratumoral CTL/Treg ratio was associated with pN0 stage. The relationship between lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and Treg density was also noted in node-negative tumors. In addition, more advanced nodal stage was related to LVI, higher pT, and lower PR expression. The numbers of CD8 + and FOXP3 + were also associated with tumor size, histologic grade, PR expression, and mitotic index. The results of our study suggested that the levels of tumor-infiltrating regulatory and cytotoxic cells as well as the balance between them play a role in lymphovascular spread of luminal A breast cancers.

Luminal A 型乳腺癌通常与低转移潜能和良好预后相关。然而，有一部分患者出现淋巴结转移。我们研究的目的是确定阳性淋巴结数量与肿瘤相关细胞毒性 CD8 + (CTL)、调节性 FOXP3 + T 细胞 (Tregs) 浸润以及其他预后因素之间的关联。对 87 个福尔马林固定石蜡包埋的原发性乳腺癌组织进行 CD8 + 和 FOXP3 + 的免疫组织化学 (IHC)，并在光学显微镜下评估细胞浸润情况。我们观察到淋巴结阳性病例与较高数量的 Treg 细胞和较低的 CTL/Treg 比率相关。CTL/Treg比率与转移淋巴结的数量之间也存在负相关。在 pT1 BC 中发现转移淋巴结的数量与 Treg 密度或 CTL/Treg 比率之间存在类似的关系。升高的瘤内 CTL/Treg 比率与 pN0 分期相关。在淋巴结阴性肿瘤中也注意到淋巴管浸润 (LVI) 和 Treg 密度之间的关系。此外，更高级的淋巴结分期与 LVI、更高的 pT 和更低的 PR 表达有关。CD8 + 和 FOXP3 + 的数量也与肿瘤大小、组织学分级、PR 表达和有丝分裂指数相关。我们的研究结果表明，肿瘤浸润调节细胞和细胞毒性细胞的水平以及它们之间的平衡在 Luminal A 型乳腺癌的淋巴血管扩散中起作用。升高的瘤内 CTL/Treg 比率与 pN0 分期相关。在淋巴结阴性肿瘤中也注意到淋巴管浸润 (LVI) 和 Treg 密度之间的关系。此外，更高级的淋巴结分期与 LVI、更高的 pT 和更低的 PR 表达有关。CD8 + 和 FOXP3 + 的数量也与肿瘤大小、组织学分级、PR 表达和有丝分裂指数相关。我们的研究结果表明，肿瘤浸润调节细胞和细胞毒性细胞的水平以及它们之间的平衡在 Luminal A 型乳腺癌的淋巴血管扩散中起作用。升高的瘤内 CTL/Treg 比率与 pN0 分期相关。在淋巴结阴性肿瘤中也注意到淋巴管浸润 (LVI) 和 Treg 密度之间的关系。此外，更高级的淋巴结分期与 LVI、更高的 pT 和更低的 PR 表达有关。CD8 + 和 FOXP3 + 的数量也与肿瘤大小、组织学分级、PR 表达和有丝分裂指数相关。我们的研究结果表明，肿瘤浸润调节细胞和细胞毒性细胞的水平以及它们之间的平衡在 Luminal A 型乳腺癌的淋巴血管扩散中起作用。CD8 + 和 FOXP3 + 的数量也与肿瘤大小、组织学分级、PR 表达和有丝分裂指数相关。我们的研究结果表明，肿瘤浸润调节细胞和细胞毒性细胞的水平以及它们之间的平衡在 Luminal A 型乳腺癌的淋巴血管扩散中起作用。CD8 + 和 FOXP3 + 的数量也与肿瘤大小、组织学分级、PR 表达和有丝分裂指数相关。我们的研究结果表明，肿瘤浸润调节细胞和细胞毒性细胞的水平以及它们之间的平衡在 Luminal A 型乳腺癌的淋巴血管扩散中起作用。