Baseline tumour burden and prognosis in breast cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors
- Author(s)
- Dixon-Douglas, J; Brown, LC; Moodie, K; van Geelen, CT; David, S; Francis, PA; Savas, P; Loi, S;
- Journal Title
- Breast
- Publication Type
- Research article
- Abstract
- BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), alone or in combination with other agents, are now standard of care for a range of tumour types, including breast cancer. Radiological assessment of baseline tumour burden has been associated with prognosis in a variety of tumour types treated with immunotherapeutic agents. Whether baseline tumour burden is prognostic in breast cancer treated with ICI is unknown. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients from a single institution with advanced breast cancer treated with ICI was performed. The sum of baseline target lesion measurements (baseline tumour size [BTS]) and all lesions (total tumour burden [TTB]) were determined in accordance with RECIST version 1.1 and correlated with clinical outcomes. RESULTS: 82 patients were identified, treated between 2015 and 2020. BTS and TTB by quartile were significantly associated with overall survival (OS) (p < 0.001) and clinical benefit rate at 6 months (CBR6) in univariable analysis (p = 0.004 and p = 0.002 for BTS and TTB, respectively). Multivariable analysis confirmed a significant inverse relationship with OS for both BTS (p = 0.035) and TTB (p = 0.024). A non-statistically significant numerical inverse association between increasing tumour burden and progression free survival was also observed. CONCLUSION: Baseline tumour burden assessed by BTS and TTB is significantly associated with prognosis in advanced breast cancer treated with ICI and should be considered a potential biomarker to improve selection of patients for treatment with ICI. These results suggest that ICI treatment will be most effective in patients with lower tumour burden.
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Keywords
- Advanced breast cancer; Immune checkpoint inhibitor; Prognostic biomarker; Tumour burden
- Department(s)
- Medical Oncology
- Publisher's Version
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.breast.2025.104586
- Open Access at Publisher's Site
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.breast.2025.104586- Terms of Use/Rights Notice
- Refer to copyright notice on published article.
Creation Date: 2025-11-06 02:44:49
Last Modified: 2025-11-06 02:44:58