International Journal of Contemporary Research In Multidisciplinary, 2025;4(6):253-258
Dynamic Modulation of Immune Markers in Breast Cancer Following Radiotherapy
Author Name: Rahul Thirugnanam; Gomathi Meenashki; V. Nandhini; Priya Darshini; Vijayath B. R.;
Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate dynamic changes in systemic and tumour immune markers—neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs)—before and after radiotherapy (RT) in breast cancer patients, and to assess their association with ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence (IBTR).
Materials and Methods: Thirty-five breast cancer patients were analysed for pre-RT and post-RT NLR and TIL levels. Paired t-tests were performed to assess changes induced by RT, and independent t-tests were used to compare these immune markers between patients with and without IBTR.
Results: RT induced significant immune modulation. NLR increased significantly after treatment (mean change = 0.59; p < 0.0001), while TILs decreased markedly (p < 0.0001). Pre-RT NLR showed a trend toward higher values among patients who developed IBTR (p = 0.08),
whereas pre-RT TILs did not differ significantly (p = 0.97). Post-RT NLR and TILs showed no
significant association with IBTR status. These findings suggest that pre-treatment NLR may have prognostic value in identifying patients at higher risk.
Conclusion: Radiotherapy significantly alters immune marker profiles in breast cancer, characterised by increased NLR and decreased TILs post-treatment. A higher pre-RT NLR may indicate an adverse immunologic milieu and could serve as a potential biomarker for patient stratification. Validation in larger, prospective cohorts is warranted to confirm these preliminary observations.
Keywords
Tumor microenvironment; neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR); tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs); immune biomarkers; immunomodulation; precision oncology