Research led by King’s College London has revealed that a routine clinical test could provide deeper insights into the immune response to breast cancer. The findings, published in the journal Cancers, focus on using fine needle aspiration (FNA) to not only check for the spread of cancer to lymph nodes but also to analyze the immune activity within those nodes.
Doctors typically perform lymph node assessments to determine if breast cancer has metastasized to the axillary lymph nodes, which is crucial for tailoring treatment plans. FNA involves a minimally invasive procedure where a thin needle collects a small sample of cells from the lymph nodes. This study demonstrates that the same samples can be utilized to profile immune cells, potentially leading to better risk assessment for patients.
Insights from Immune Profiling
Traditionally, lymph node evaluations concentrate on the presence of tumor cells. However, these nodes are also vital centers for immune function. By examining the behavior of immune cells in these areas, researchers can gain valuable information about the body’s response to cancer and the extent of the disease.
In this study, researchers optimized the use of FNA to analyze tumor-free axillary lymph nodes from individuals diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite the small size of the samples, the team identified a diverse array of immune cells, including common types such as T cells and rarer populations critical to immune defense.
The composition of immune cells detected in the lymph nodes correlated with the overall cancer presence in the axillary lymph node chain. This suggests that immune profiling through FNA could provide indirect insights into tumor burden, even if the sampled lymph node does not contain cancer cells.
Reducing Invasive Procedures
One significant advantage of this approach is that it avoids the need for additional invasive procedures. FNA is already part of routine pre-operative care, allowing for a seamless integration of this new application into existing medical practices. Dr. Kalnisha Naidoo, Adjunct/Honorary Senior Lecturer in Translational Pathology at King’s College London and senior author of the study, stated, “This represents an important first step towards preventing over-treatment of the axilla. By using a minimally invasive technique that is already part of routine clinical care, we hope that in the future we will be able to identify which patients can safely avoid axillary surgery, while still ensuring that those at higher risk receive the most appropriate treatment.”
While the results are promising, the researchers emphasize that larger studies are necessary to confirm whether immune profiling with FNA can reliably predict cancer spread and patient outcomes. The findings indicate that this method could help differentiate between patients at higher and lower risk for further cancer spread, fostering more personalized treatment strategies and potentially reducing the incidence of unnecessary surgeries.
As the study progresses, it may pave the way for improved patient management in breast cancer care, emphasizing the critical role of immune profiling in understanding and treating this complex disease.
