Rugo, Hope S.

Importance Although adding immune checkpoint inhibitors to neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves outcomes in high-risk early-stage breast cancer, opportunities remain to further enhance response. Dual checkpoint blockade offers a potential strategy to further enhance efficacy. Objective To evaluate the combination of anti−programmed cell death 1 protein (PD-1) cemiplimab and anti−lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3) added to neoadjuvant therapy in ERBB2 -negative early-stage, high-risk breast cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants The I-SPY2 (Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response With Imaging and Molecular Analysis 2) is an ongoing randomized clinical platform trial being conducted at multiple US clinical sites including patients with early-stage (II or III) ERBB2 -negative, high-risk breast cancer. Participants, continuously enrolled since 2010, were adaptively randomized from February 2, 2020, to December 9, 2021, to one of several experimental neoadjuvant therapies or control groups based on receptor subtypes defined by hormone receptor (HR), ERBB2 status, and MammaPrint (Agendia Inc) molecular risk, categorized as high (MP1) or ultrahigh (MP2). Data were analyzed from January 1, 2022, to August 5, 2025. Interventions Both groups received weekly paclitaxel for 12 weeks, then doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by surgery; concomitant with paclitaxel, the intervention group also received 4 doses of cemiplimab and fianlimab (PCF) every 3 weeks. Main Outcomes and Measures Pathologic complete response (pCR). Treatments graduated when they achieved 85% bayesian probability of success in a subtype-specific phase 3 trial. Pathway-specific biomarkers were assessed for response prediction. Results A total of 78 participants (mean [SD] age, 47 [39-54] years) were randomized to the intervention group, with 350 participants (mean [SD] age, 48 [39-57] years) randomized to the historical control population. PCF graduated in all clinical signatures, with pCR rates vs control of 44% (95% CI, 34%-53%) vs 21% (95% CI, 17%-25%) in all ERBB2 , 53% (95% CI, 39%-67%) vs 29% (95% CI, 22%-36%) in triple-negative, and 36% (95% CI, 23%-49%) vs 14% (95% CI, 9%-19%) in HR-positive and ERBB2 -negative disease. Among the total participants, 16 (21%) experienced adrenal insufficiency, including hypophysitis (11% grade 3 or 4), mostly occurring after immunotherapy completion. PCF was found to be highly effective in the subset of patients with immune signature positive status (ImPrint positive). Conclusions and Relevance In this randomized clinical trial, the combination of PD-1 and anti−LAG-3 inhibition with standard NAC was effective in early-stage ERBB2 -negative breast cancer, particularly in patients displaying a positive ImPrint immune signature. These results warrant further definitive trials. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01042379

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines for Breast Cancer include recommendations for clinical management of patients with carcinoma in situ, invasive breast cancer, Paget’s disease, Phyllodes tumor, inflammatory breast cancer, and management of breast cancer during pregnancy. The panel convenes annually to update recommendations based on a review of recently published clinical trials. This selection from the NCCN Guidelines for Breast Cancer focuses on the recommendations for the management of recurrent or stage IV (M1) metastatic breast cancer. It summarizes the treatment strategies stratified by tumor biology, including hormone receptor status and HER2 expression, as well as clinical factors such as prior therapy and disease-free interval. Throughout all treatment lines, supportive care, quality of life preservation, toxicity minimization, and clinical trial participation are emphasized as integral components of patient care.

Abstract The addition of two years (yrs) of adjuvant abemaciclib to ET resulted in statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival (OS) over ET in patients (pts) with HR+, HER2-, node-positive, high-risk EBC. At 7 yrs, abemaciclib+ET demonstrated sustained IDFS and DRFS benefits ([HR=0.73, 95% CI: 0.66, 0.82), and (HR=0.75, 95% CI: 0.66, 0.84)]). Higher nodal involvement (N2 or N3) is an independent prognostic factor for worse outcomes in EBC. However, previous monarchE data highlight that pts with limited nodal disease (1-3 axillary lymph nodes (ALN)) are at high recurrence risk when additional clinical risk factors are present, such as high-grade (G) tumor and/or large tumor size. Here, we show subgroup analyses by ALN.monarchE is a phase 3, open-label, randomized trial in pts with HR+, HER2-, node-positive, high-risk EBC. Pts were randomized (1:1) to receive ET for at least 5 yrs +/- abemaciclib for 2 yrs (treatment (tx) period). High-risk EBC was defined as either 1-3 ALN (N1) with G3 disease and/or tumor ≥5 cm or, ≥4 ALN (N2: 4-9, N3: ≥10) (Cohort 1 (C1)). A smaller group of pts were enrolled with N1, G≤2, tumor size <5 cm, and central Ki-67 ≥20% (C2). IDFS, DRFS and OS were assessed in C1 by ALN (N1, N2, N3) using the Kaplan-Meier (KM) method, and unstratified Cox proportional hazard model including interaction effect between tx arm and ALN. Of 5120 randomized pts in C1, 1761 (34.4%) had N1, 2223 (43.4%) had N2, and 1123 (21.9%) had N3 disease. At this analysis (data cut off:15Jul2025), in the ET arm, a comparable number of patients with N1 and N2 disease had IDFS events at 6 yrs (21.6% and 25.4%), while event no. in the N3 subgroup was notably higher (38.1%). A similar trend was observed in DRFS and OS (Table). With a median follow-up time of 76.8 months in C1, the addition of abemaciclib to ET reduced the risk of developing an IDFS event by 24.8% (N1), 31.5% (N2) and 27.4% (N3) compared to ET. The absolute improvements in IDFS rates at 6 yrs were 4.6% (N1), 6.9% (N2), and 8.1% (N3). Reductions in the risk of developing DRFS events were 25.2% (N1), 31.2% (N2), and 25.7% (N3), with corresponding 6yr absolute benefit of 3.8% (N1), 6.4% (N2), and 6.8% (N3). Abemaciclib+ET consistently reduced the risk of death compared to ET across ALN subgroups by 12.3% (N1), 15.5% (N2), and 26.8% (N3), which resulted in absolute improvements in OS of 1.4% (N1), 1.6% (N2), and 2.7% (N3). Baseline disease characteristics, IDFS and DRFS KM curves by ALN will be presented. In the ET arm, pts with N1 + ≥1 additional risk factor had recurrence and death risks comparable to pts with N2, while pts with N3 had poorer prognosis. The addition of adjuvant abemaciclib to ET led to a clinically meaningful reduction in the risk of recurrence and death regardless of nodal burden, confirming the consistent and sustained benefit of 2 yrs of tx with abemaciclib and supporting its use in eligible pts with node-positive high-risk EBC. Citation Format: J. Cortes, S. R. D. Johnston, M. Martín, S. M. Tolaney, M. Goetz, H. Rugo, J. Sohn, O. Ozyilkan, M. Henriques Abreu, M. Zaiss, K. Maia Vianna, H. Melgaard Nielsen, A. Chan, H. Kalofonos, S. Morales, B. San Antonio, M. Munoz, B. R Grimes, S. Amdur, P. Neven. monarchE: subgroup analysis of adjuvant abemaciclib + endocrine therapy for HR+, HER2-, high-risk early breast cancer by nodal status [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS1-08-08.

Abstract Background: Combinations of antibody-drug conjugates and immunotherapy, such as trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) and rilvegostomig (rilve), respectively, offer promising efficacy but are associated with a heightened risk of drug-induced interstitial lung disease (ILD)/pneumonitis. Early detection and management are critical for optimizing patient safety, yet there are no standard protocols for real-time evaluation. We hypothesized that vigilant monitoring would enable early detection, prevent symptoms, and minimize the chance of treatment delays while testing novel therapeutic combinations that have a potential risk of ILD. Methods: We tested the combination of T-DXd and rilve administered every 3 weeks in the I-SPY2.2 phase 2 platform trial (NCT01042379), which enrolls patients with clinical stage II/III breast cancer commencing neoadjuvant systemic therapy. Given the potential risk of overlapping pulmonary toxicity of these two agents, we added rigorous monitoring with pulmonary function tests (PFTs), six-minute walk test (6MWT), and high-resolution chest CT (HRCT) scanning pretreatment and every 6 weeks thereafter. A real-time safety workflow was implemented, with pre-specified criteria for halting treatment and escalation to the next block of treatment. All abnormal findings reported on chest CT by site radiologist were centrally reviewed in real time by the study pulmonologist (T.K.) and cases of suspected ILD were adjudicated promptly by a safety committee consisting of the pulmonologist and several medical oncologists, enabling early study drug interruption and therapeutic interventions. Toxicity data were evaluated in the first 51 patients treated with T-DXd plus rilve, and a preplanned hold was initiated until safety was ascertained by the data and safety monitoring board. Results: Safety data were evaluated in the first 51 patients receiving T-DXd plus rilve. Eight ILD events were confirmed (15.68% incidence): 5 grade 1, 2 grade 2, and 1 grade 3. One patient had an early chest CT scan because of dyspnea. All cases were identified by HRCT scans; PFTs and 6MWT did not enhance early detection and were subsequently dropped from the monitoring protocol. No patient was symptomatic for more than 24 hours. Radiographic findings resolved within 14-55 days. Patients with grade 2 & 3 ILD were treated with corticosteroids. No cases of ILD required intensive care or escalated therapy beyond steroids. Early treatment escalation to the subsequent block of therapy occurred in 3 patients; all 3 patients were subsequently able to receive appropriate therapy. At the meeting, safety data from all 100 patients treated with this combination will be reported. Conclusion: Real-time, centralized monitoring and adjudication allowed for early detection and prompt management of ILD, which both mitigated severity and supported timely therapeutic management. Among the monitoring tools studied, HRCT scanning performed every 6 weeks proved most effective for early ILD identification; PFT and 6MWT did not enhance early detection. This approach offers a potential framework for future studies assessing pulmonary safety in regimens combining agents that have a known risk for inducing ILD. Citation Format: T. Kulkarni, R. Nanda, H. S. Rugo, C. C. OSullivan, K. M. Kalinsky, J. C. Boughey, P. R. Pohlmann, J. Perlmutter, D. Yee, A. Borowsky, F. Symmans, N. Hylton, L. Van ‘t Veer, C. Yau, L. Esserman. Real-time monitoring for drug-induced interstitial lung disease with Trastuzumab Deruxtecan and Rilvegostomig combination therapy prevents persistent, symptomatic disease: Safety insights from the I-SPY2.2 platform trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS1-01-09.

The treatment landscape of invasive early-stage and metastatic breast cancer is evolving constantly. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on recent updates included in the most recent version (version 5.2025) of the NCCN Guidelines for Breast Cancer specific to workup, locoregional therapy, surveillance, and systemic neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy recommendations for invasive, nonmetastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSE Neoadjuvant immunotherapy (IO) has become the standard of care for early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but not yet for other subtypes. We previously developed a clinical-grade mRNA-based immune classifier (ImPrint) predicting response to IO that is now being used in I-SPY2.2 as part of the response predictive subtypes. We report the performance of ImPrint in hormone receptor–positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative (HR+HER2–) patients from five IO arms. METHODS A total of 204 HR+HER2– (MammaPrint high-risk) patients from five IO arms (anti–PD-1, anti–PD-L1/poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase inhibitor combination, anti–PD-1/toll-like receptor 9 dual-IO combination, and anti–PD-1 ± lymphocyte activation gene 3 dual-IO combination) and 191 patients from the chemotherapy-only control arm were included in this analysis. Patients were classified as ImPrint+ (likely sensitive) versus ImPrint– (likely resistant), using pretreatment mRNA. Performance of ImPrint for predicting pathologic complete response (pCR) to IO-containing arms was characterized and compared with tumor grade (III), MammaPrint (ultra) High2 risk (MP2), and estrogen receptor (ER)-low (ER ≤ 10%). RESULTS Overall, the pCR rate across the five IO arms was 33%. 26% of HR+HER2– patients were ImPrint+, and pCR rates with IO were 75% in ImPrint+ versus 17% in ImPrint–, with the highest pCR rate >90% in a dual-IO arm. In the control arm, pCR rates were 33% in ImPrint+ and 8% in ImPrint–. Tumor grade (III), MP2, and ER-low showed pCR rates in IO of 45%, 56%, and 63%, respectively, with lower pCR odds ratios (OR < 7.5) compared with ImPrint (OR = 14.5). CONCLUSION Using an accurate selection strategy, HR+HER2– patients could achieve pCR rates similar to what is seen with best neoadjuvant therapies in TNBC and HER2+ (ie, pCR rate >65%-70%). ImPrint, an Food and Drug Administration IDE-enabled assay, may represent a way to identify HR+HER2– patients for IO that best balances likely benefit versus risk of serious immune-related adverse events.

604 Background: The addition of OFS to standard endocrine therapy (ET) improves iDFS for preM women with early-stage hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer (BC). Incomplete OFS occurs in a subset of women, the long-term clinical significance of which is unclear. This study evaluates local sE2 levels in preM women receiving OFS with an oral SERD in the neoadjuvant (NA) setting. Methods: The EOP is a I-SPY2 sub-study investigating NA endocrine-based strategies in pts with HR+ HER2- Stage 2/3 BC predicted to have lower benefit from chemotherapy. Pts were randomized to oral amcenestrant 200 mg/d, alone or in combination with either letrozole 2.5 mg/d or abemaciclib 150 mg bid. Additional pts were randomized to a standard of care (SOC) arm consisting of an aromatase inhibitor. All PreM pts received OFS with monthly GnRHa up to 2 wks prior to C1D1 of study therapy. Pts were treated for 6 months prior to surgery. sE2 levels were collected locally prior to each GnRHa injection. Tumor Ki67 was assessed at 3 weeks and surgery, and associated with sE2 level. Statistical significance was determined using a two-sided Student’s t-test and a significance level 0.05. Results: Between 5/2021-8/2022, 74 pts were enrolled to an amcenestrant containing arm, 40 of whom were preM. 38/40 pts had at least one local sE2 level measured in follow up. Of these 38 pts (median age 45 years), 37 suppressed sE2 into the postmenopausal (postM) range at one or more follow-up timepoints. Of the 37 pts that completely suppressed into the postM range, 6 pts had sE2 levels rebound into the preM range (mean 319 pg/mL, range 20-848 pg/mL) with peak sE2 levels occurring at a median of 12 weeks from C1D1. One pt never suppressed to the postM range (peak sE2 1227 pg/mL) and was found to have an ovarian cyst after 3 months on amcenestrant, requiring surgery. One additional pt had multiple ovarian cysts (sE2 84 pg/mL). Median age of the 7 pts who had sE2 rebound was 43 years. There was no significant difference in Ki67 at 3 weeks and surgery between pts whose sE2 levels remained suppressed (median Ki67 2.0%) compared to those whose estradiol rebounded into the preM range or never suppressed (median Ki67 1.5%). In the 5 pts whose sE2 rebounded to > 200 pg/mL, all pts had tumor Ki67 < 10% at 3 weeks and surgery. Between 12/2022 and 8/2023, 20 pts were enrolled to AI +/- OFS and 11 pts were preM. Of the 11 preM pts, all pts suppressed sE2 to the postM range. No SOC patients had sE2 levels rebound into the preM range. Conclusions: In this study of neoadjuvant oral SERD with monthly OFS, 7/38 (18.4%) preM pts had sE2 levels remain or rebound into the preM range. sE2 levels did not appear to impact Ki67 suppression on NA ET. Work up for ovarian cysts should be considered in pts with symptoms, or significantly elevated or persistent sE2 levels. Clinical trial information: NCT01042379 .

612 Background: EOP, an I-SPY2 sub-study, evaluates the tolerability and activity of novel endocrine strategies in stage 2/3 breast cancer (BC) patients (pts) predicted to have lower chemotherapy benefit. Laso, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), has shown favorable toxicity profile and activity in HR+/HER2- endocrine-resistant metastatic BC. Methods: Pts with Stage 2/3 HR+/HER2-, MammaPrint (MP) low risk BC were enrolled. Pts with MP High1 BC were included if clinically node-negative. Pts received oral laso 5 mg daily for six 28-day cycles. Laso was continued until the day prior to surgery. Premenopausal pts received ovarian function suppression (OFS) starting C2D1. The primary endpoint was feasibility (>75% of patients completing >75% study therapy). Baseline (T0), 3-wk (T1) biopsies, and the surgical specimen (T3) was assessed centrally for Ki-67. Breast MRI functional tumor volume (FTV) was performed at T0, T1, 12 weeks (T2), and pre-operatively (T3). Blood was collected for tumor informed ctDNA at T0, T1, T2, T3. Advance event (AE) was assessed using CTCAE V5. Results: From 3/2023 to 5/2024, 20 pts were enrolled. Median age 50.5 years, 50% premenopausal, and 1 male pt. 60% cN0, 80% MP low-risk signature. 18 (90%) pts completed >75% study therapy. Two pts discontinued treatment due to pt preference. Median Ki67 at T0 was 14.7%. At T1, 87.5% of pts remained or suppressed Ki67 to <10% and 37.5% suppressed to <2.7%. Ki67 at T1 was similar between pre-and postmenopausal pts despite OFS (Table). The median MRI FTV was 8.4 cc at T0, and 3.4 cc at T3. Median % FTV reduction from T0 to T3 was -47.5%. 2/20 pts (10%) achieved a modified PEPI score of 0. No patients achieved completed pathological response. Of the 16 pts with RCB results, 2 (12.5%) RCB-1, 6 (37.5%) RCB-2, 8 (50%) RCB-3 disease. 14 pts had ctDNA available at T0. 4/14 were ctDNA+ at T0, 2 of whom became ctDNA negative, and 2 remained ctDNA+. 10/14 pts were ctDNA negative at T0, 8 of whom remained negative, 2 became positive at T1 then cleared. All AEs were grade(G) 1 except 1 pt with G2 hot flashes. Most common AEs include hot flashes (85%), constipation (50%), fatigue (50%), and nausea (35%). One pt had G3 hypersensitivity and hypertension, both unrelated to therapy. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant laso demonstrates a favorable AE profile and promising anti-tumor activity in suppressing 3-wk Ki67 and MRI FTV change in pts with HR+ HER2-negative early BC. Ki67 suppression in premenopausal pts was seen in the absence of OFS. Clinical trial information: NCT01042379 . Ki67 expression at pre-treatment, and 3-wk time point. All Patients(n=20) Premenopausal (n=10) Postmenopausal (n=9) Median Ki67 expression Baseline 10.0% 12.5% 10.0% 3-wk 5.1% 3.0% 6.0% Number of pts with Ki67 expression <10% at 3-wk 87.5% 1 87.5% 85.7% Number of pts with Ki67 expression <2.7% at 3-wk 37.5% 50% 28.6% 1 Include the one male pt.

610 Background: The adverse event (AE) landscape in oncology is changing due to the introduction of immunotherapy and antibody drug conjugates. These AEs come with both short and long-term symptoms that significantly impact patient quality of life. Monitoring for early onset of symptoms could optimize therapy for a particular patient, maximizing potential efficacy while mitigating toxicity. It is also possible that some toxicities are directly associated with drug sensitivity. We sought to identify symptoms associated with pathologic complete response (pCR) using patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in early-stage high-risk breast cancer patients. Methods: Our study population included 288 stage II/III high-risk breast cancer patients enrolled on the I-SPY2 trial from 2021-2024, who received novel neoadjuvant therapies ± standard paclitaxel. pCR was assigned if tumor was absent in breast and nodes at surgery following neoadjuvant treatment. Patients (n = 288, pCR rate = 29%, 89% administered immunotherapy) were sent electronic PROs. 33 patient-reported AEs were measured using NCI's Patient Reported Outcomes - Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE). Each symptom was evaluated using severity, frequency, and interference on a Likert Scale. Presence of early PRO symptoms (cycles 1-3 of treatment) were binarized (at least one of moderate or greater), and odds ratios were computed with pCR as outcome. To assess whether higher grade AEs were enriched in patients that achieved a pCR, we also performed the Wilcoxan rank sum test using maximum (worst) symptom severity. Results: Of 288 patients included in our analysis (median age = 48 years, range = 20-78), 203 (70.5%) were White, 17 (5.9%) were Asian, 33 (11.5%) were Black or African American, and 35 (12.2%) were Hispanic. PRO analysis revealed that patients that had moderate to severe muscle pain (27% vs 10% OR = 3.15, p < 0.05), joint pain (22% vs 8% OR = 3.23, p < 0.05), headache (27% vs 12.5% OR = 2.59, p < 0.05), or mouth/throat sores (16% vs 5% OR = 3.56, p < 0.05) within weeks 1-3 had higher odds of achieving a pCR. When we looked at maximum severity between weeks 1-3, patients that achieved a PCR had higher grade muscle pain (p = 0.04), heart palpitations (p = 0.035), and significantly lower grade numbness and tingling (p = 0.002). Beyond 6 weeks, associations were weaker or insignificant. Conclusions: Our study utilizes an analysis framework that was able to determine sentinel symptoms such as muscle and joint pain, mouth/throat sores and palpitations as early as weeks 1-3 associated with increased efficacy. This may suggest an early immune reaction in patients that eventually respond favorably to treatment. Our work can help provide earlier proactive monitoring to mitigate toxicities, treatment redirection if needed, and a potential symptom-based early understanding to personalize treatment efficacy. A similar analysis is underway to predict immune related AEs. Clinical trial information: NCT01042379 .

504 Background: Axillary surgery in breast cancer is used for staging and therapeutic purposes, but axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) confers high risk of complications including lymphedema. Accordingly, trials have focused on right-sizing axillary surgery, with options ranging from complete omission of surgery, sentinel lymph node (SLN) surgery, targeted axillary dissection (TAD), or ALND. Identifying a biomarker to reliably predict nodal burden would facilitate accurate selection of surgical management. We evaluated whether the presence or absence of ctDNA in the blood pre and post NAC is associated with residual nodal burden. Methods: I-SPY2 is a prospective, multicenter NAC trial for patients with clinical stage II-III high-risk breast cancer. Patients are randomized to novel NAC agents, with pathologic complete response being the primary endpoint. As part of the trial, serial ctDNA is assessed with a highly sensitive tumor-informed assay using up to 16 patient-specific tumor mutations (Signatera) at baseline, 3 weeks, 12 weeks, and post-NAC. We determined whether ctDNA positivity or negativity post-NAC, and the change in ctDNA status baseline/post-NAC (-/-, -/+, +/+, +/-) are associated with ypN category (N0, N1, N2). Results: ctDNA status was available post-NAC in 495 patients and change in ctDNA status from baseline was available in 493. At baseline, ctDNA was detected in 160/220 (72.3%) cN0 patients and 227/273 (83.2%) cN+ patients (p=0.006). Post-NAC, ctDNA was detected in 11/220 (5%) cN0 patients and 34/273 (12.5%) cN+ patients (p=0.004). While baseline ctDNA status was not associated with ypN category, there was a significant association between post-NAC ctDNA status and ypN category. For ctDNA + patients post-NAC, 33.3% were ypN0, 31.1% were ypN1, and 35.6% were ypN2 at surgery; in contrast, for ctDNA - patients post-NAC, 67.1% were ypN0, 23.1% were ypN1, and 9.8% were ypN2 (p<0.0001). Dynamic ctDNA changes were also associated with ypN category, with significantly more ypN0 patients among ctDNA -/- or ctDNA +/- cases, and more ypN2 patients in those who did not clear ctDNA (+/+) (p=0.0001, Table). Conclusions: To our knowledge this is the first study to demonstrate a significant relationship between ctDNA and ypN category, which has important surgical implications. CtDNA negativity was associated with low likelihood of ypN2 disease, making these patients excellent candidates for SLN surgery or TAD. Ongoing analyses will incorporate receptor subtype and timing of clearance of ctDNA. CtDNA in breast cancer may help tailor surgical management of the axilla, potentially reducing patient morbidity without compromising prognostic information. ctDNA baseline/post-NAC ypN0 (n=317) ypN1 (n=116) ypN2 (n=60) ctDNA -/- (n=105) 72.4% 19.1% 8.6% ctDNA -/+ (n=1) 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% ctDNA +/+ (n=44) 34.1% 29.6% 36.4% ctDNA +/- (n=343) 65.9% 23.9% 10.2%