Correlation of NK cell activity and Clinical Parameters with Survival in Breast Cancer patients

Abstract

Abstract Through analyzing a correlation between natural killer cell activity (NKA) and survival rate of patients with breast cancer, this study aims to assess the potential of NKA as a prognostic biomarker of breast cancer. We retrospectively analyzed the digital medical records of breast cancer patients treated at two traditional Korean medicine hospitals, located in Daejeon and Cheonan, South Korea, from April 1, 2016, to April 4, 2021. NKA levels were assessed by measuring interferon-γ released by stimulated- NK cells using commercial kit (NK Vue®; NKMAX, Seongnam, Korea). The patients were divided into two groups: A high NKA (≥ 500 pg/mL), and a low NKA (< 500 pg/mL) group, and compared in terms of tumor progression, physical status, overall survival (OS), and event-free survival (EFS). The high-NKA group exhibited significant longer OS (67.3 ± 1.5 vs 57.4 ± 3.7 months, p=0.002), longer EFS (62.9 ± 2.0 vs 49.2 ± 3.8 months, p=0.004) and better response rate (84.5% vs 69.8%, p=0.021). A relationship between NKA and prognosis in stage III and IV was more significant. Stage III and IV patients with high NKA had longer OS (38.9 ± 6.8 vs 56.7 ± 5.5 months, p = 0.039) and longer EFS (50.5 ± 6.2 months vs 31.4 ± 6.3 months, p = 0.053). NKA may serve as a prognostic biomarker for breast cancer patients. Further studies with more patients over a longer period are needed.