T-cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 expression in invasive ductal breast carcinoma: Clinicopathological correlations and association with tumor infiltration by cytotoxic lymphocytes

As a negative regulatory molecule, T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-3 (Tim-3) is closely associated with tumor immunological tolerance. The aim of this study was to investigate Tim-3 expression in invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC), its effect on clinicopathological parameters and its association with cytotoxic lymphocyte infiltration. Tim-3 protein expression was measured in 150 paraffin-embedded IDC specimens and 100 paired normal breast tissue specimens by immunohistochemistry. It was demonstrated that the infiltration of the tumor by CD8+ T cells was significantly higher compared with that of normal tissue, and the Tim-3 expression on CD8+ T cells was higher in IDC tissue compared with that in normal tissue; the differences were statistically significant (both P-values=0.000). The median expression level of Tim-3 on tumor cells was significantly associated with clinicopathological parameters such as age, axillary lymph node metastasis and TNM stage (P=0.015, 0.001 and 0.027, respectively). The expression of Tim-3 on CD8+ T cells was correlated with lymph node metastasis, World Health Organization (WHO) grade and molecular classification (P=0.000, 0.004 and 0.000, respectively). Additionally, the number of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells was associated with primary tumor size, lymph node metastasis, WHO grade, Ki-67 and molecular classification (P=0.017, 0.002, 0.007, 0.003 and 0.000, respectively). Thus, Tim-3 may promote the development and progression of breast cancer and affect the tumor microenvironment; thus, it may be used as an independent prognostic factor for IDC patients.