Improved Prognostic Testing for Patients with Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Approximately 40% of patients with stage I-III triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) have recurrences after standard treatment, whereas the remaining 60% experience long-term disease-free survival. However, there are currently no clinical tests to assess the risk of recurrence in TNBC patients. To address this issue, Varley and colleagues developed a multigene MHCII Immune Activation Assay to allow clinical testing for the prognosis of recurrence of triple-negative breast cancer patients. This assay identifies TNBC patients with a low risk of recurrence whose tumors express factors like MHC II pathway components, which promote immune infiltration and responses that reduce relapse and enhance survival. This work addressed a critical need for prognostic biomarker tests that enable precision medicine for TNBC patients.