Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2018. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. Nov 10, 2018; 9(7): 123-132
Published online Nov 10, 2018. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v9.i7.123
Lymphocyte subsets predictive value and possible involvement of human papilloma virus infection on breast cancer molecular subtypes
Andreína Fernandes, Adriana Pesci-Feltri, Isabel García-Fleury, Marco López, Vincent Guida, Marisol De Macedo, María Correnti
Andreína Fernandes, Marisol De Macedo, María Correnti, Oncology and Hematology Institute, Caracas 1050, Venezuela
Adriana Pesci-Feltri, Isabel García-Fleury, Marco López, Vincent Guida, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas 1050, Venezuela
Author contributions: Fernandes A and Correnti M designed research and wrote the paper; Fernandes A collected data and samples, analyzed and interpreted the data; De Macedo M analyzed the flow cytometry data; Pesci-Feltri A, García-Fleury I, López M, Guida M conducted the mastectomies.
Supported by FONACIT Project, No. G2005000408; and PEII Project, No. 2012001201.
Institutional review board statement: Approved by Bioethics Committee of the University Hospital of Caracas.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors confirm that they do not have any conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Andreína Fernandes, PhD, Biologist, Assistant Professor, Oncology and Hematology Institute, University City, Minerva Street, Caracas 1050, Venezuela. andreinafernandesb@gmail.com
Telephone: +58-414-2754878 Fax: +58-212-6053815
Received: May 28, 2018
Peer-review started: May 28, 2018
First decision: July 9, 2018
Revised: August 26, 2018
Accepted: October 24, 2018
Article in press: October 24, 2018
Published online: November 10, 2018
Abstract
AIM

To detect human papilloma virus (HPV) presence and to characterize cellular immune response in breast cancer patients.

METHODS

A total of 74 women were included, of which 48 samples were from patients diagnosed with breast cancer and 26 patients with benign pathology of the breast. Molecular subtype classification was performed based on the immunohistochemical reports of the tumor piece. HPV genome detection and genotyping from fresh breast biopsies was performed using the INNO-LIPA HPV Genotyping Extra test (Innogenetics, Ghent, Belgium). CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and natural killer (NK)+ cells levels from peripheral blood samples from patients with breast cancer and benign pathology were measured by flow cytometry.

RESULTS

Luminal A was the most frequent breast cancer molecular subtype (33.33%). HPV was detected in 25% of the breast cancer patients, and genotype 18 was the most frequent in the studied population. The mean of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ subpopulations were decreased in patients with breast cancer, in relation to those with benign pathology, with a statistically significant difference in CD8+ values (P = 0.048). The mean of NK+ cells was increased in the benign pathology group. The average level of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and NK+ cells decreased as the disease progressed. HER2+ and Luminal B HER2+ tumors had the lowest counts of cell subsets. HPV breast cancer patients had elevated counts of cellular subsets.

CONCLUSION

Determining level changes in cellular subsets in breast cancer patients is a useful tool to evaluate treatment response.

Keywords: Breast cancer, Human papilloma virus, Molecular subtypes, Immune response, T lymphocytes, NK cells

Core tip: This work detected the presence of the human papilloma virus (HPV) genome in patients with breast cancer and measured the levels of cellular subsets as predictor factors. The viral genome was found in 25% of breast cancer cases, with the high-risk 18 genotype the most frequent. Luminal A tumors represented 33.33% of the sample. The average level of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and NK+ cells was decreased in cancer patients compared to the benign pathology group, while the reverse effect was observed in HPV positive patients.