Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) continues to exhibit a poor response to both immunotherapy and endocrine therapy, primarily due to its complex genetic heterogeneity and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are involved in neutrophil development and degranulation in treatment-resistant tumors, particularly TNBC and metastatic cases. Using a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets, bulk mRNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort, microarray data from the METABRIC and GEO databases, and epigenetic sequencing resources, we comprehensively investigated the functional characteristics and prognostic potential of NET-positive tumor-associated neutrophils (NET+ TAN) in TNBC. A six-gene panel derived from NET+ TAN has been identified as a reliable diagnostic biomarker for the survival of patients with TNBC and has been validated across several independent cohorts. Notably, our findings indicate that NET+ TAN facilitate T cell reprogramming in TNBC, thereby establishing a suppressive TIME and promoting tumor progression. This study provides a comprehensive perspective on the significance of NETs in patients with TNBC, with the aim of offering genetic and epigenetic insights into the mechanisms by which NETs may transition from cold to hot tumor phenotype, as well as valuable recommendations for therapeutic strategies.
Zhu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.