Radiological Features for Predicting the Status of CD8-Positive Lymphocytes in HER2 Positive Breast Cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiology
• Immunology

Background:

• Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are crucial in HER2-positive breast cancer prognosis.
• Higher TILs correlate with better pathological complete response to treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the association between ultrasound (US) and MRI features and CD8-positive TIL levels in HER2-positive breast cancer.
• To identify imaging biomarkers for predicting CD8-positive TIL status.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 155 women with HER2-positive breast cancer.
• US and MRI features evaluated using BI-RADS lexicon; apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) calculated.
• Multivariate analysis and ROC analysis to determine predictive performance of imaging features.

Main Results:

• US features (shape, orientation, posterior echo) and MRI ADC were independent predictors of CD8-positive TIL levels.
• US features achieved an AUC of 0.802; ADC achieved an AUC of 0.705.
• Combined US and ADC showed superior predictive efficacy (AUC = 0.888) compared to individual modalities.

Conclusions:

• US features and ADC value are valuable tools for estimating CD8-positive TIL levels in HER2-positive breast cancer.
• A predictive nomogram incorporating these features can aid clinical decision-making.