Introduction: The prognostic value of PAM50 intrinsic subtypes (IS), cell cycle, and immune-related gene expression in HR+ /HER2- advanced breast cancer (BC) treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) and endocrine therapy (ET) in a first-line metastatic setting is unclear. This study evaluates these biomarkers in metastatic biopsies from patients diagnosed with HR+ /HER2- advanced BC.
Methods: CDK-PREDICT study is a multicentric, ambispective observational cohort study conducted in six Spanish hospitals. It included patients diagnosed with HR+ /HER2- advanced BC treated in the first-line setting with CDK4/6i and ET. Baseline biopsies were obtained prior to treatment to determine research-based PAM50 IS, cell cycle and immune-related gene expression. The primary objective was to evaluate progression-free survival (PFS) differences among PAM50 IS using uni- and multivariable Cox regression models. Secondary objectives included overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), and correlating cell cycle and immune response gene expression with PFS.
Results: A total of 185 patients were included, with a median follow-up of 38.5 months. PAM50 luminal subtypes were predominant (82.7 %). Non-luminal subtypes showed significantly shorter median PFS (10.2 vs. 25.7 months; HR, 2.50; p < 0.001) and OS (32.3 vs. 58.1 months; HR, 2.54; p < 0.001) than luminal subtypes. Higher cell cycle and immune-related genes expression, such as CCNE1 and PDCD1, as well as tumor infiltrating lymphocytes were associated with poorer outcomes.
Conclusions: This study confirms the independent prognostic value of PAM50 IS in HR+ /HER2- advanced BC treated with CDK4/6i and ET. Non-luminal subtypes exhibited the worst prognosis, underscoring the need for novel therapeutic strategies in this population.
Keywords: Biomarkers; CDK 4/6 inhibitors; Gene expression; Hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative advanced breast cancer; Intrinsic subtypes; PAM50.
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