Image Analysis Assesses Immune Reaction to Breast Cancer and Improves Treatment

A novel test has been developed that can be used to analyze images of “hotspots” where the immune system attacks breast cancer cells.

Scientists used statistical tests to help predict the survival chances of women with breast cancer by assessing the status of their immune system and treated only those in need of intensive treatment. Women with a high number of “hotspots” had a life expectancy of 91 months before their cancer spread while those with fewer hotspots lived 64 months on average.

The scientists analyzed tumor samples from 245 women with estrogen receptor negative (ER negative) breast cancer using computerized imaging and statistical analysis, and measured the number of immune cell hotspots where immune cells were spatially clustered around breast cancer cells. The hotspots were a better indicator of immune response than measuring the number of immune cells in a tumor.

The researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research (London, UK) published details of the test in the February 2015 issue of the journal Modern Pathology.

Team leader in Computational Pathology and Integrative Genomics at the ICR, Dr. Yinyin Yuan, said, “Our research is aiming to develop completely new ways of telling apart more and less aggressive cancers, based on how successful the immune system is in keeping tumors in check. We have shown that to measure the strength of an immune response to a cancer, we need to assess not just how many immune cells there are, but whether these are clustered together into cancer-busting hotspots. By analyzing the complex ways in which the immune system interacts with cancer cells, we can split women with breast cancer into two groups, who might need different types of treatment.”

Definiens (Munich, Germany), which provides image analysis for digital pathology and diagnostics, can discuss what this test means for patients as well as the industry, how this approach is being used in other cancers, challenges with studying the immune system and how they're being addressed, and other advancements expected in immune studies for cancer this year.

Related Links:
The Institute of Cancer Research 
Definiens