RECOMMENDATIONS In addition to estrogen and progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 , the panel found sufficient evidence of clinical utility for the biomarker assays Oncotype DX , EndoPredict , PAM50 , Breast Cancer Index , and urokinase plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 in specific subgroups of breast cancer .
No biomarker except for estrogen receptor , progesterone receptor , and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 was found to guide choices of specific treatment regimens .
PURPOSE To provide recommendations on appropriate use of breast tumor biomarker assay results to guide decisions on adjuvant systemic therapy for women with early-stage invasive breast cancer .
Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes are prognostic in triple negative breast cancer and predictive for trastuzumab benefit in early breast cancer: results from the FinHER trial.
BACKGROUND We have previously shown the prognostic importance of tumor-infiltrating  lymphocytes ( TILs ) in newly diagnosed triple-negative breast cancer ( TNBC ) using tumor sample s from a large clinical trial cohort . In this study , we aim ed to vali date these findings and also investigate associations with trastuzumab benefit in HER2-overexpressing disease ( HER2 + ) . PATIENTS AND METHODS A prospect ive-retrospective study was conducted using sample s from the FinHER adjuvant , phase III trial that enrolled 1010 early-stage BC patients , 778 of whom were HER2-nonamplified . Those with HER2 + disease ( n = 232 ) were r and omized to 9 weeks of trastuzumab or no trastuzumab in addition to chemotherapy . Two pathologists independently quantified stromal TILs in 935 ( 92.6 % ) available slides . The primary end point of distant disease-free survival ( DDFS ) and interactions with trastuzumab  were studied in Cox regression models . RESULTS Confirming our previous findings , in TNBC ( n = 134 ) each 10 % increase in TILs was significantly associated with decreased distant recurrence in TNBC ; for DDFS the hazard ratio adjusted for clinicopathological factors : 0.77 ; 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) 0.61 - 0.98 , P = 0.02 . In HER2 + BC ( n = 209 ) , each 10 % increase in lymphocytic infiltration was significantly associated with decreased distant recurrence in patients r and omized to the trastuzumab arm ( DDFS P interaction = 0.025 ) . CONCLUSIONS Higher levels of TILs present at diagnosis were significantly associated with decreased distant recurrence rates in primary TNBC . These results confirm our previous data and further support that TILs should be considered as a robust prognostic factor in this BC subtype . We also report for the first time an association between higher levels of TILs and increased  trastuzumab  benefit in HER2 + disease . Further research into why some TN and HER2 + BCs can or can not generate a host antitumor immune response and how trastuzumab can favorably alter the immune microenvironment is warranted
RECOMMENDATIONS In addition to estrogen and progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 , the panel found sufficient evidence of clinical utility for the biomarker assays Oncotype DX , EndoPredict , PAM50 , Breast Cancer Index , and urokinase plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 in specific subgroups of breast cancer .
No biomarker except for estrogen receptor , progesterone receptor , and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 was found to guide choices of specific treatment regimens .
PURPOSE To provide recommendations on appropriate use of breast tumor biomarker assay results to guide decisions on adjuvant systemic therapy for women with early-stage invasive breast cancer .