Lymph Node Metastasis-Associated Spatiotemporal Mapping of the TFF3-Linked Niche in Breast Cancer: Integrating Radiogenomic Signatures with Immune-Ecosystem Remodeling.

ABSTRACT: Primary breast cancer (PBC) with axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM+) is associated with distinct clinical outcomes, including reduced survival (The Cancer Genome Atlas/Foshan cohorts, P < 0.05) and an attenuated response to anti-programmed cell death protein 1 antibody/anti-programmed death-ligand 1 antibody (anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1) therapy. Through ALNM-stratified single-cell RNA sequencing profiling, we identified 3 hallmark immune subsets in ALNM+ PBC: (a) proliferative MKI67+ T cells, (b) exhausted GZMA+ CD8+ T cells, and (c) CCL13/CXCL10/TOP2A+ macrophages. Cross-modal integration of metastasis-epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signatures with Mendelian colocalization analysis prioritized TFF3 as a central mechanistic regu

SUBMITTER: Cai D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12805538 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature