High grade breast ductal carcinomas have high density of tumor-associated macrophages.

Abstract

The role of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is double-natured and still controversial. Depending on different settings, macrophages may suppress or promote tumor growth. TAM density may be one of the predictive factors of treatment outcome in cancer patients. To evaluate the density of tumor-associated macrophages in breast cancer and its relationship with various histopathologic findings. 55patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of breast who underwent mastectomy were enrolled. Sections of tumor samples were stained and the density of CD68+ cells was evaluated. There was anassociation between estrogen receptor (ER) expression and CD68density (p = 0.010) as the higher densities of CD68were seen inER negative tumors. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between histological grade and CD68density (p =0.006). The higher TAM density is associated with higher tumor grade and negative ER expression in breast cancer tissues. These findings revealed that inflammation could have an important role in malignancies.