Characterization of immune checkpoints expression and lymphocyte densities of iranian breast cancer patients; the co-expression status and clinicopathological associates

BACKGROUND: Breast malignancies are now the most common and deadliest type of neoplasms among women worldwide. Novel therapeutic approaches are needed to combat advanced stages of breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression and co-expression status of three immune checkpoints (PD-1, PD-L1, and LAG-3), as well as tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) scores, and to further establish their potential correlations with clinicopathologic features. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study on 361 pathologic samples of breast cancer. Immunohistochemistry was performed to assess the status of the immune checkpoint markers, and H&E staining was used to score TILs. The correlations of the immune checkpoint markers of tumor cells and tumor-associated immune cells and TIL scores with clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS: Out of 361 assessed samples, LAG-3 was positive in 51%, while IC PD-L1 and TC PD-L1 were detectable in 36% and 8.9%, respectively. Moreover, both IC PD-L1 and LAG-3 stained positively in 24.4% of samples. IC PD-L1 expression was significantly higher in tumors with higher nuclear, mitotic, and overall grades and tubule formation. In addition, TC PD-L1 and LAG-3 exhibited a similar trend for higher overall grading. Tumors with positive estrogen- and progesterone-receptor (ER and PR) expression had significantly lower IC PD-L1 and TC PD-L1 staining, while LAG-3 positivity was more prevalent in HER2 positive samples. Tumors that were positive for these biomarkers had significantly higher Ki-67 scores. LAG-3 expression showed significant correlations with PD-1 and IC PD-L1 expression. Besides, the co-expression of LAG-3 and IC PD-L1 was significantly more encountered in luminal B and triple-negative subtypes, compared to the luminal A subtype. Regarding TILs, their scoring was significantly higher in ER and PR negative and HER2 positive samples. Intriguingly, samples with positive staining for LAG-3, IC PD-L1, and TC PD-L1 had significantly higher TIL scorings. CONCLUSIONS: Immune checkpoints show differentially different levels of expression in certain molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Moreover, they reveal a meaningful correlation with each other, proliferation indices, and histologic grades. Finally, a sizable proportion of breast cancers co-express PD-L1 and LAG-3, which will make them appropriate targets for future combined ICIs. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-023-11005-y.