Discussion
INFILTRATION, BREAST CANCER
In the CALGB 40601 and PAMELA trials, both the proportion of TILs and the multiple iGESs were significantly associated with pCR. Moreover, in the CALGB 40601 trial, several immune signatures were also associated with EFS in univariable and multivariable Cox analyses that included clinical factors and intrinsic subtype, whereas TILs were not significantly associated with outcome. B-cell signatures outperformed TILs and T-cell signatures for pCR and EFS.The proportion of TILs as a continuous variable has proven to be an independent prognostic biomarker in early-stage ERBB2/HER2-positive breast cancer.Not surprisingly, quantitative gene expression of immune-related genes and signatures is strongly associated with the infiltration of TILs.