Figure 3.

PD-L1⁺ TAMs are associated with favorable clinical outcome in two independent cohorts of patients with BC

(A and B) Kaplan-Meier relapse-free survival (RFS) curves and log rank test generated for the gene signature of PD-L1⁺ vs. PD-L1^– TAMs or the gene signature ratio of PD-L1⁺/PD-L1^– TAMs in the luminal BC cohorts of METABRIC (n = 1098) (A) and TCGA (n = 789) (B) datasets.

(C) Kaplan-Meier analyses for the M1, M2, or the ratio of M1/M2 gene signature in the luminal BC cohorts of METABRIC (n = 1098). Patients were divided into high- and low-expressing groups based on a 25% cutoff of the gene signature.

(D) Schematic summarizing the histological quantification method in cohorts 1 and 2 of patients with luminal BC.

(E) Representative immunofluorescence staining of PD-L1, CD68, and DAPI to identify PD-L1⁺ and PD-L1^– TAMs.

(F–H) Using Kaplan-Meier estimate and log-rank test, relapse-free survival (RFS) was compared between patients with low and high density of PD-L1⁺ TAMs in cohort 1 (n = 49) (F) and in cohort 2 (n = 93) (G) or low and high density ratio of PD-L1⁺/PD-L1⁻ TAMs in combined cohorts 1 and 2 (n = 142) (H). Median density was used as the cutoff to divide patients into low vs. high groups.

(I) Univariate and multivariate analysis for the prognostic significance of the density ratio of PD-L1⁺/PD-L1^– TAMs. Hazard ratio calculated with below medium vs. above medium (n = 142).