TY - JOUR
T1 - Sustained lymphocyte decreases after treatment for early breast cancer
AU - Dixon-Douglas, Julia
AU - Virassamy, Balaji
AU - Clarke, Kylie
AU - Hun, Michael
AU - Luen, Stephen J.
AU - Savas, Peter
AU - van Geelen, Courtney T.
AU - David, Steven
AU - Francis, Prudence A.
AU - Salgado, Roberto
AU - Michiels, Stefan
AU - Loi, Sherene
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/12/1
Y1 - 2024/12/1
N2 - The role of adaptive immunity in long-term outcomes in early breast cancer is increasingly recognised. Standard (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy can have adverse effects on immune cells. We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study of full blood counts (FBC) of 200 patients receiving (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer at a single institution. FBC results at four time points from pre-treatment to 12 months post-chemotherapy were analysed. Flow cytometry was performed for patients with matched pre- and post-chemotherapy peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples. A significant decrease in absolute lymphocyte count at 12 months post-chemotherapy was observed (p < 0.01), most pronounced in pre-menopausal patients (n = 73; p < 0.01), patients receiving dose-dense chemotherapy regimens (n = 60; p < 0.01) and patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy (n = 147, p < 0.01). In pre-menopausal patients, significant changes in CD4+ T cells subsets post-chemotherapy were observed. Further investigation, including long-term clinical outcomes, is needed to meaningfully improve long-term anti-tumour immunity.
AB - The role of adaptive immunity in long-term outcomes in early breast cancer is increasingly recognised. Standard (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy can have adverse effects on immune cells. We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study of full blood counts (FBC) of 200 patients receiving (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer at a single institution. FBC results at four time points from pre-treatment to 12 months post-chemotherapy were analysed. Flow cytometry was performed for patients with matched pre- and post-chemotherapy peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples. A significant decrease in absolute lymphocyte count at 12 months post-chemotherapy was observed (p < 0.01), most pronounced in pre-menopausal patients (n = 73; p < 0.01), patients receiving dose-dense chemotherapy regimens (n = 60; p < 0.01) and patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy (n = 147, p < 0.01). In pre-menopausal patients, significant changes in CD4+ T cells subsets post-chemotherapy were observed. Further investigation, including long-term clinical outcomes, is needed to meaningfully improve long-term anti-tumour immunity.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85206997993&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41523-024-00698-4
DO - 10.1038/s41523-024-00698-4
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85206997993
SN - 2374-4677
VL - 10
JO - npj Breast Cancer
JF - npj Breast Cancer
IS - 1
M1 - 94
ER -