pCR and low residual tumor cellularity associated with better prognosis in BC

Key clinical point: Achievement of pathologic complete response (pCR) or residual tumor cellularity (RTC) <40% is associated with improved survival outcomes in patients with breast cancer (BC) who have received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Major finding: Early clinical stage (cT1-2), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive BC subtype, and absence of vascular invasion predicted the achievement of pCR after NAC (all P  =  .001). Patients who achieved pCR vs pathologic partial response (pPR) had significantly longer overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and distant disease-free survival (DDFS; all P < .001). However, among patients with pPR, RTC <40% vs ≥40% was associated with significantly longer DFS (P  =  .033) and DDFS (P  =  .015).

Study details: Findings are from a retrospective analysis including 495 patients with BC who underwent NAC, of which 29.9% of patients achieved pCR.

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Disclosures: This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Gentile D et al. Pathologic response and residual tumor cellularity after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy predict prognosis in breast cancer patients. Breast. 2023;69:323-329 (Mar 27). Doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2023.03.016