Crucial Contributions by T Lymphocytes (Effector, Regulatory, and Checkpoint Inhibitor) and Cytokines (TH1, TH2, and TH17) to a Pathological Complete Response Induced by Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Women with Breast Cancer

Table 2

Levels of tumour-infiltrating T cell subsets in women with LLABCs⁽¹⁾ and subsequent pathological complete response following NAC⁽²⁾.

T cell subsets	Groups	Intratumoural; Median (range)^(3)	value^(4); (PCR^(5) versus non-PCR)	Stromal; Median (range)^(3)	value^(4); (PCR versus non-PCR)
CD4^+	Pathological complete response (PCR, )	45.2 (1.6–171.0)	0.023	43.4 (1.0–242.0)	0.001
	Nonpathological complete response (non-PCR, )	5.8 (0.6–166.2)		10.4 (1.0–113.0)
CD8^+	Pathological complete response (PCR, )	40.6 (5.2–202.4)	0.008	75.5 (5.6–201.6)	0.002
	Nonpathological complete response (non-PCR, )	12.8 (0.4–99.2)		12.2 (1.8–110.0)
FOXP3^+	Pathological complete response (PCR, )	6.3 (0.4–96.8)	0.958	12.5 (0.8–110.6)	0.363
	Nonpathological complete response (non-PCR, )	5.4 (0.8–45.6)		10.8 (0.8–44.8)
CTLA-4^+	Pathological complete response (PCR, )	0.5 (0.0–4.0)	0.068	1.4 (0.0–10.0)	0.041
	Nonpathological complete response (non-PCR, )	0.4 (0.0–2.2)		0.4 (0.0–2.2)
PD-1^+	Pathological complete response (PCR, )	2.6 (0.0–57.4)	0.118	1.9 (0.4–81.2)	0.093
	Nonpathological complete response (non-PCR, )	0.5 (0.0–3.2)		0.9 (0.0–3.6)

LLABCs: large and locally advanced breast cancers; ⁽²⁾NAC: neoadjuvant chemotherapy; ⁽³⁾average cell count per x high-power field (core biopsies of breast cancers); ⁽⁴⁾Mann–Whitney test; ⁽⁵⁾PCR (grade 5): no residual invasive disease; statistically significant.