Table 1 Correlations between tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and clinicopathological parameters in 40 patients with eribulin chemotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer
Parameters | All breast cancer (n = 40) | p-value | Progression due to new metastasis (n = 7) | p-value | Progression due to pre-existing lesions (n = 33) | p-value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
High (n = 23) | Low (n = 17) | High (n = 4) | Low (n = 3) | High (n = 19) | Low (n = 14) | ||||
Age at chemotherapy | |||||||||
 ≤ 63 | 10 (43.5%) | 8 (47.1%) |  | 2 (50.0%) | 2 (66.7%) |  | 8 (42.1%) | 6 (42.9%) |  |
 > 63 | 13 (56.5%) | 9 (52.9%) | 0.822 | 2 (50.0%) | 1 (33.3%) | 0.629 | 11 (57.9%) | 8 (57.1%) | 0.966 |
Degree of progress | |||||||||
 Locally advanced | 7 (30.4%) | 4 (23.5%) |  | 1 (25.0%) | 1 (33.3%) |  | 6 (31.6%) | 3 (21.4%) |  |
 Visceral metastases | 16 (69.6%) | 13 (76.5%) | 0.454 | 3 (75.0%) | 2 (66.7%) | 0.714 | 13 (68.4%) | 11 (78.6%) | 0.405 |
Stage | |||||||||
 III or IV | 11 (47.8%) | 7 (41.2%) |  | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |  | 11 (57.9%) | 7 (50.0%) |  |
 Rec | 12 (52.2%) | 10 (58.8%) | 0.676 | 4 (100.0%) | 3 (100.0%) | – | 8 (42.1%) | 7 (50.0%) | 0.653 |
ER status | |||||||||
 Negative | 13 (56.5%) | 6 (35.3%) |  | 2 (50.0%) | 1 (33.3%) |  | 11 (57.9%) | 5 (35.7%) |  |
 Positive | 10 (43.5%) | 11 (64.7%) | 0.184 | 2 (50.0%) | 2 (66.7%) | 0.629 | 8 (42.1%) | 9 (64.3%) | 0.208 |
PgR status | |||||||||
 Negative | 15 (65.2%) | 8 (47.1%) |  | 2 (50.0%) | 1 (33.3%) |  | 13 (68.4%) | 7 (50.0%) |  |
 Positive | 8 (34.8%) | 9 (52.9%) | 0.251 | 2 (50.0%) | 2 (66.7%) | 0.629 | 6 (31.6%) | 7 (50.0%) | 0.284 |
HER2 status | |||||||||
 Negative | 21 (91.3%) | 16 (94.1%) |  | 4 (100.0%) | 3 (100.0%) |  | 17 (89.5%) | 13 (92.9%) |  |
 Positive | 2 (8.7%) | 1 (5.9%) | 0.615 | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | – | 2 (10.5%) | 1 (7.1%) | 0.616 |
Ki67 | |||||||||
 Low | 9 (39.1%) | 11 (64.7%) |  | 1 (25.0%) | 1 (33.3%) |  | 8 (42.1%) | 10 (71.4%) |  |
 High | 14 (60.9%) | 6 (35.3%) | 0.110 | 3 (75.0%) | 2 (66.7%) | 0.714 | 11 (57.9%) | 4 (28.6%) | 0.093 |
Nuclear grade | |||||||||
 1, 2 | 11 (47.8%) | 12 (70.6%) |  | 2 (50.0%) | 2 (66.7%) |  | 9 (47.4%) | 10 (71.4%) |  |
 3 | 12 (52.2%) | 5 (29.4%) | 0.150 | 2 (50.0%) | 1 (33.3%) | 0.629 | 10 (52.6%) | 4 (28.6%) | 0.153 |
Objective response rate | |||||||||
 ORR | 9 (39.1%) | 7 (41.2%) |  | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (33.3%) |  | 9 (47.4%) | 6 (42.9%) |  |
 Non-ORR | 14 (60.9%) | 10 (58.8%) | 0.896 | 4 (100.0%) | 2 (66.7%) | 0.429 | 10 (52.6%) | 8 (57.1%) | 0.797 |