Role of the immune response in the aggressive forms of breast cancer seen in Western Kenya.

Abstract

Breast cancer in African women has a poor prognosis and a high rate of recurrence. There is an urgent need to define the role of the host immune response to tumor in the seemingly aggressive forms of breast cancer in African women. Studies have indicated that the immune system has anti-tumor function and can also facilitate tumor escape and progression. Tumor infiltrated with cells such as CD4, CD8, Treg and macrophages have shown both positive and negative association with tumor relapse and metastasis. Tumor associated M1 and M2 subtypes have a role in suppressing the tumor and enhancing tumor growth respectively. Little has been done on the prognostic value of the immune system in breast cancer. Identifying the role played by the host response to tumor in aggressive breast cancer forms could give an insight in the tumor biology of the unique forms of tumors seen in African women. This study will determine the significance of inter-relationship between tumors and host immune response in the aggressive forms of breast cancer seen in Kenyan young women.