Enhancing AI Research for Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Review of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Datasets

J Imaging Inform Med. 2024 Dec;37(6):2996-3008. doi: 10.1007/s10278-024-01043-8. Epub 2024 May 28.

Abstract

The field of immunology is fundamental to our understanding of the intricate dynamics of the tumor microenvironment. In particular, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) assessment emerges as essential aspect in breast cancer cases. To gain comprehensive insights, the quantification of TILs through computer-assisted pathology (CAP) tools has become a prominent approach, employing advanced artificial intelligence models based on deep learning techniques. The successful recognition of TILs requires the models to be trained, a process that demands access to annotated datasets. Unfortunately, this task is hampered not only by the scarcity of such datasets, but also by the time-consuming nature of the annotation phase required to create them. Our review endeavors to examine publicly accessible datasets pertaining to the TIL domain and thereby become a valuable resource for the TIL community. The overall aim of the present review is thus to make it easier to train and validate current and upcoming CAP tools for TIL assessment by inspecting and evaluating existing publicly available online datasets.

Keywords: Breast Cancer; Computer Vision; Datasets; Deep Learning; Immunology; TIL.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Breast Neoplasms* / immunology
  • Breast Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Deep Learning
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating* / immunology
  • Tumor Microenvironment / immunology