Epigenetic quantification of circulating immune cells in peripheral blood of triple-negative breast cancer patients.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A shift in the proportions of blood immune cells is a hallmark of cancer development. Here, we investigated whether methylation-derived immune cell type ratios and methylation-derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (mdNLRs) are associated with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Methods

Leukocyte subtype-specific unmethylated/methylated CpG sites were selected, and methylation levels at these sites were used as proxies for immune cell type proportions and mdNLR estimation in 231 TNBC cases and 231 age-matched controls. Data were validated using the Houseman deconvolution method. Additionally, the natural killer (NK) cell ratio was measured in a prospective sample set of 146 TNBC cases and 146 age-matched controls.

Results

The mdNLRs were higher in TNBC c

SUBMITTER: Manoochehri M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8596937 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature