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. 2020 Mar 20;11:1494. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-15188-x

Fig. 10. CXCR3+ cell signature associates with poor outcome in breast cancer patients.

Fig. 10

a, b Kaplan–Meier analyses of breast cancer patients, associating CXCR3+ cell signature (CXCR3S) with distant metastasis-free (DMF) survival (a, TOP trial data set, n = 107 patients) or overall survival (b, compiled data set from basal-like breast cancers, KM plotter, n = 153). Median cutoff was used to group samples into CXCR3S low and high. HR hazard ratio. P values were determined by log-rank test. c Model summarizing interactions between metastasis-initiating breast cancer cells and fibroblasts in the lungs. High JNK activity induces IL-1α/β production in metastasis-initiating cells that furthers JNK signaling in an autocrine fashion. The positive feedback loop increases IL-1α/β levels secreted by cancer cells. Fibroblasts respond to IL-1α/β via type I IL-1R signaling and NF-κB-mediated upregulation of CXCL9/10 that promote metastatic colonization via CXCR3 expressed by metastasis-initiating cells.