The Genetic Landscape of Breast Cancer and Its Intersection With Host Immunity In Ethiopian Breast Cancer Patients
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Date
2025
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Addis Ababa Universtity
Abstract
Background; Breast cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among Ethiopian women. It is a heterogeneous disease, both in its molecular characteristics and immune response. Recent evidence demonstrates the importance of incorporating immune cell composition into tumor classification, as the immune landscape plays a crucial role in determining prognosis and therapeutic response. Additionally, emerging studies suggest that tumor immune response is influenced by intratumoral microbiota, which can affect both anti- and pro-tumor immune activities. Despite these insights, there remains a significant gap in understanding the immunological landscape of Ethiopian breast cancer, its prognostic relevance, and its interaction with the mammary microbiota. Objective; This study was aimed to explore the host immune profile—both local and systemic— its role in predicting disease prognosis, and its interaction with the mammary microbiota in Ethiopian breast cancer patients. Methodology: A combination of prospective and retrospective follow-up study designs was employed to address the different study objectives. A prospective follow-up study was conducted to investigate the systemic immune repertoire of BC patients and to examine correlations between mammary microbiota and local immunity. Patient/disease characteristics at diagnosis were collected through structured, pretested questionnaires. Blood from BC patients and healthy controls were analyzed by flow cytometry to assess the phenotype and function of immune cell subpopulations. To explore microbiome-immune associations, fresh frozen tissue (FFT)/Formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue was used for molecular characterization of the microbiota, by targeting 16S rRNA genes (Illumina MiSeq) and for immune gene expression analysis.
Budget: The study was supported by the Susan Komen GTDR16378013 given to Martin-Luther –University Halle-Wittenberg, Medical Faculty.
Keywords: Immune Phenotypes, Tumor immune microenvironment, Immune profiling, Immune escape, Mammary microbiota, Ethiopian patients, Prognostic biomarkers.
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Immune Phenotypes Tumor immune microenvironment Immune profiling Immune escape Mammary microbiota Ethiopian patients Prognostic biomarkers.