Expression of foxp3 tumour infiltrating lymphocytes in her2 positive breast cancer and their association with clinicopathological features

Hashim, Sobry (2023) Expression of foxp3 tumour infiltrating lymphocytes in her2 positive breast cancer and their association with clinicopathological features. Masters thesis, Universiti Sains Malaysia.

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Abstract

Background: The transcription factor Forkhead Box Protein P3 (FOXP3) plays a crucial role in regulatory T cells (Tregs) development and function and serves as a lineage specification factor of Tregs. FOXP3+ tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are considered significant prognostic markers in breast cancer. However, the prognostic significance of FOXP3+ TILs in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancers remains controversial. We investigated the proportion of HER2-positive breast cancer and their expression of FOXP3+ TILs and evaluated their association with clinicopathological features. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 167 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples of HER2-positive breast cancer cases from the Department of Pathology, Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah (HSNZ) from the year of 2014 to 2021. The tissue sections were stained with immunohistochemistry (IHC) anti-FoxP3 antibodies. FOXP3+ TILs expression was categorised into low infiltration (grade 0 to grade 1) and high infiltration (grade 2 to grade 3). Fischer’s Exact test was used to analyse the association with clinicopathological characteristics. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Total breast cancer cases from 2014-2021 were 1066 cases. There were 272 (25.5%) HER2-positive breast cancer cases. Among 167 selected HER2-positive breast cancer cases, 164 (98.2%) cases showed strong FOXP3+ TILs infiltration, and 3 (1.8%) cases showed low infiltration. There was no significant association between the expression of FOXP3+ TILs with the age of diagnosed (p > 0.950), tumour grade (p=0.091), tumour size (p=0.235), axillary nodal status (p=0.552), metastasis status (p > 0.950), oestrogen receptor (ER) status (p=0.616) and progesterone receptor (PR) status (p > 0.950). Conclusion: FOXP3+ TILs were highly infiltrating HER2-positive breast cancer despite variability in clinicopathological characteristics.

Item Type: Thesis (Masters)
Uncontrolled Keywords: BREAST CANCER
Subjects: R Medicine
R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC254-282 Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology (including Cancer)
Divisions: Kampus Kesihatan (Health Campus) > Pusat Pengajian Sains Perubatan (School of Medical Sciences) > Thesis
Depositing User: MUHAMMAD AKIF AIMAN AB SHUKOR
Date Deposited: 17 Aug 2025 00:54
Last Modified: 18 Aug 2025 08:39
URI: http://eprints.usm.my/id/eprint/62767

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