Table 3.

The Differences Between the Density of CD68+ or CD163+ TAMs (Low and High Expression), Before and After NAC, and Various Clinicopathological Features

Clinicopathological features (N=138)	CD68+ TAMs						CD163+ TAMs						CD68+ TAMs						CD163+ TAMs
	Before NAC						Before NAC						After NAC						After NAC
	Tumor			Stroma			Tumor			Stroma			Tumor			Stroma			Tumor			Stroma
	nest						nest						nest						nest
	Low	High	p- value	Low	High	p- value	Low	High	p- value	Low	High	p- value	Low	High	p- value	Low	High	p- value	Low	High	p- value	Low	High	p- value
Age (years)			<0.005			0.62			0.21			0.74			0.43			0.68			0.11			0.39
<50	20	34		38	16		18	36		33	21		14	8		31	21		9	14		28	23
≥ 50	52	32		62	22		37	47		49	35		40	15		46	36		23	33		39	42
Menopausal status			0.35			0.98			0.63			0.54			0.18			0.92			0.27			0.48
Premenopausal	24	27		37	14		19	32		32	19		13	9		29	21		2	5		26	22
Postmenopausal	48	39		63	24		36	51		50	37		41	14		48	36		40	32		41	43
Tumor size			0.38			0.65			0.22			0.67			0.99			<0.05			0.99			<0.05
≤2cm	15	11		20	6		7	19		15	11		34	16		44	14		32	18		45	11
>2cm	56	54		79	32		47	64		67	44		11	17		33	43		12	16		22	54
Lymph node status			0.22			0.78			0.45			0.23			0.09			0.74			<0.05			<0.005
Absent	30	36		48	18		24	42		36	30		24	15		52	40		27	14		55	35
Present	38	30		48	20		29	39		44	24		30	8		25	17		15	23		12	30
Nuclear grade			0.05			0.09			0.07			0.11			<0.005			0.32			0.79			0.24
I	37	25		49	13		30	32		42	20		34	9		36	24		22	21		25	35
II–III	17	25		27	15		13	29		22	20		8	12		20	20		12	10		21	18
HR			0.97			0.62			0.73			0.18			0.059			0.60			0.055			<0.05
Positive	47	43		67	23		36	54		58	32		43	15		49	39		27	31		36	49
Negative	25	23		33	15		19	29		24	24		11	8		28	18		15	6		31	16
HER-2 status			0.07			0.62			0.29			0.79			0.34			0.23			0.81			0.11
Positive	21	29		35	15		17	33		29	21		11	7		32	18		10	8		28	19
Negative	51	37		65	23		38	50		53	35		43	16		45	39		32	29		39	46
TNBC status			0.9			0.93			0.76			0.43			0.34			0.96			<0.05			<0.05
Positive	19	18		27	10		14	23		20	17		9	6		20	15		14	3		23	12
Negative	53	48		73	28		41	60		62	39		45	17		57	42		28	34		44	53
TILs			<0.005			<0.005			<0.005			<0.05			0.66			0.77			0.59			0.81
Category 1	44	23		58	9		35	32		45	22		41	19		27	34		31	29		19	42
Category 2	20	26		29	17		16	30		28	18		11	1		6	4		7	5		3	10
Category 3	8	17		13	12		4	21		9	16		1	3		0	4		1	3		2	2
RCB.class			0.93			0.63			0.005			<0.05			0.30			0.44			<0.005			<0.05
pCR	24	35		38	21		19	40		32	27		-	-		42	16		-	-		44	12
I	12	9		17	4		4	17		8	13		16	5		11	10		17	4		13	8
II	23	18		31	10		24	17		28	13		24	14		16	22		16	22		8	30
III	13	4		14	3		8	9		14	3		13	4		8	9		6	11		2	15
Ki-67			0.05			0.39			0.71			0.21			0.20			0.53			0.94			<0.05
Low	25	13		29	9		17	21		26	12		38	6		32	22		21	23		18	34
High	46	49		68	27		37	47		52	43		11	15		15	20		14	12		18	17

Notes: Categorically divides TAMs into “low” and “high” groups based on their median levels. Bold values denote statistical significance at the p < 0.05 level. Pre-NAC “Tumor size”, “Lymph node status”, “TILs”, and “Ki-67” were compared with pre-NAC CD68+ and CD163+ TAMs, while post-NAC “Tumor size”, “Lymph node status”, “TILs”, and “Ki-67” were compared with post-NAC CD68+ and CD163+ TAMs.

Abbreviations: NAC, neoadjuvant chemotherapy; TILs, stromal tumor infiltrating lymphocytes; HR, hormone receptor; TNBC, triple-negative breast cancer; RCB, Residual Cancer Burden.