Given that tumor NOS2 and COX2 expression is antagonistic against CD8+ T-cell function, we used NOS2/CD8 and COX2/CD8 ratios to define specific cellular phenotypes, which revealed significant spatial relationships with respect to patients that survived (alive) versus those who succumbed to disease (deceased) at 5 years postdiagnosis in 21 patients with ER− breast cancer (16 African American and five European American). The gene discussed is CD8A; the disease is breast carcinoma.