Tumor‐Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Breast and Female Genital Tract Cancers: Overlooked Potential and Unexplored Frontiers
ABSTRACT
Background
The growing success of cancer immunotherapies has led to significant advances in oncology. However, despite these promising developments, cancer‐related mortality remains high for common cancer types such as breast and lower female genital tract cancers.
Method
Here, we synthesize recent findings on the prognostic relevance of tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in breast, endometrial, tubo‐ovarian, and vulvar cancer. Our analysis covers the relationship between TIL counts and density, immune cell subtype combinations, immunotherapy approaches, and patient outcomes.
Results
High TIL infiltration, especially CD8+ T‐cells, generally correlates with improved outcomes such as in endometrial cancer (especially the POLE‐ultramutated subgroup), invasive breast cancer, and ovarian epithelial tumors. However, in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast, elevated TIL counts are linked to a worse prognosis. Ethnicity, the tumor microenvironment (TME), and molecular profiles further complicate the prognostic utility of TILs.
Conclusions
TIL‐based therapies have shown potential in personalized immunotherapy, particularly in recurrent, refractory ovarian cancer. Limited research on rarer gynecologic tumors hinders broader clinical applications.