Identification of the prognostic value of Th1/Th2 ratio and a novel prognostic signature in basal-like breast cancer

Abstract Background Breast cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases. The polarization of CD4+ T helper (Th) lymphocytes (mainly Th1 and Th2) may differ in breast cancers with different outcomes, but this has not been fully validated. Methods This study is a bioinformatic analysis, in which differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in patients with low and high Th1/Th2 ratios. And then, DEG functions, hub genes and independent predictors were determined. Results Low Th1/Th2 ratio was associated with poor outcome in Luminal A and basal-like breast cancer (p