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Updated: Apr 20, 2026
Optimization of a Multiplex RNA-based Expression Assay Using Breast Cancer Archival Material
Published on: August 1, 2018
T-box transcription factor 21 expression in breast cancer and its relationship with prognosis
Haiming Yu1, Junlan Yang1, Shunchang Jiao1
1Department of Medical Oncology, General Hospital of PLA Beijing, China.
Purpose:
T-box transcription factor 21 (T-bet) is a key lineage-defining transcription factor. The purpose of this study was to verify the relationship between expression in primary tumors and prognosis of breast cancer.
Methods:
T-protein expression was immunohistochemically detected on surgically-obtained tumor samples of 130 (stage I-III) invasive breast carcinomas from Chinese subjects, who were followed up for a mean time of 112 months.
Results:
T-bet was expressed in the nuclei and cytoplasm of both tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. In LOG-RANK analysis, higher density of interstitial T-bet+ interstitial lymphocytes was related with longer distant disease-free survival (DDFS) (P = 0.047); higher tumor nuclei T-bet expression was related with shorter DFS (P = 0.021) and DDFS (P = 0.026). Cox multivariate analysis showed that density of interstitial T-bet+ interstitial lymphocytes was an independent positive prognostic factor for DFS (HR = 0.474, P = 0.051) and DDFS (HR = 0.414, P = 0.030); tumor nuclei CTLA-4 expression was an independent adverse prognostic factor for DFS (HR = 3.007, P = 0.003), DDFS (HR = 2.931, P = 0.005) and OS (HR = 2.352, P = 0.029).
Conclusions:
This study found that, high tumor nuclei T-bet expression in primary tumors of breast cancer was correlated with poor prognosis and high density of T-bet+ interstitial lymphocytes in primary tumors of breast cancer were correlated with favorable prognosis.
