Citations 159

Postbiotics Against Breast Cancer: A Narrative Review Bridging Preclinical Evidence with Potential Clinical Application

Cancers | August 3, 2026 | Volume: 18 | Issue: 15 | Pages: 2486

10.3390/cancers18152486 | PMID 42588703

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, causing more than 600,000 deaths every year. The human microbiome is increasingly recognized as a key regulator of cancer initiation, progression, and therapeutic response. Postbiotics—defined as non-viable microbial cells and/or their structural components and metabolites that confer health benefits—are emerging as promising and safer alternatives to live probiotics in oncology. This review provides a comprehensive mechanistic overview of the potential role of postbiotics against cancer, with a specific focus on breast cancer. Preclinical evidence demonstrates that selected postbiotics exert dose- and time-dependent anticancer effects against multiple breast cancer subtypes by modulating key oncogenic pathways (such as PI3K/AKT and NF-κB) and inducing epigenetic regulation through histone deacetylase inhibition. Beyond direct effects on tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis, postbiotics influence the breast cancer microenvironment by reshaping cytokine networks, suppressing pro-metastatic inflammation, and enhancing antitumor immune responses through the activation of NK cells and T cells. We also provide emerging links between microbiome composition, estrobolome activity, and breast cancer subtype-specific biology. Despite these encouraging findings, the clinical translation of postbiotics in oncology remains limited. Currently, only one registered clinical trial investigates postbiotics in the oncology setting (melanoma), and no clinical trials have specifically evaluated postbiotics in breast cancer patients. This highlights a substantial translational gap between preclinical evidence and clinical application. Accordingly, well-designed, tumor-specific clinical trials are urgently needed to validate the safety, efficacy, and therapeutic potential of postbiotics as novel strategies in personalized breast cancer management.
Advancing the Oncology Data Paradigm: Multisite Expansion of Structured Cancer Data Capture at the Point of Care

JCO Oncology Practice | July 2, 2026 | Volume: No volume available | Issue: No issue available | Pages: No page available

10.1200/op-25-01183 | PMID 42391583

PURPOSE Incorporation of structured data elements within the electronic health record generates real-time data for many potential uses. However, this requires a change in documentation practices, which may increase documentation effort. The best strategies to support structured documentation interventions have not been thoroughly investigated. Herein, we report the results of extending a data capture tool across multiple disease sites and practice locations. METHODS A note-based data capture tool was developed to collect five data elements using minimum common oncology data elements language. Soft-stop close visit validation (CVV), offloading of data entry tasks to allied health staff, group education, individualized e-mails, and one-on-one assistance were used to support utilization. Baseline and follow-up surveys were collected. For each provider, we compared data capture in the 6 months before and after their CVV go-live. RESULTS Forty-five providers participated (31 physicians, 14 nurse pracationers and physician assistants [NPPAs]), resulting in 23,274 encounters pre-CVV go-live and 23,146 post-CVV go-live visits. Median percentage of all data elements captured increased from 69.5% to 82.6% across all providers. The effect of CVV was immediate and sustained. When surveyed, most respondents agreed with the value propositions of understanding practice population, outcomes, selecting trials to open, and identifying patients for trial enrollment. Most respondents (15/20, 75%) felt the soft stop was a helpful reminder. CONCLUSION Structured data can be successfully collected in provider notes with >80% data capture. Personalized assistance incorporating the structured data elements into users' preexisting templates and soft-stop CVV, along with monitoring the results of implementation and personalized follow-up, was used to support the structured data capture intervention.
Spatially resolved single-cell landscape of tumor immunotypes reveals the central role of interferon signaling and plasmacytoid dendritic cells in triple-negative breast cancer

Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer | June 3, 2026 | Volume: 14 | Issue: 6 | Pages: e014020

10.1136/jitc-2025-014020 | PMID 42236117

Background Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are established determinants of clinical outcomes in breast cancer. 1–6 While stromal TILs (sTILs) are commonly evaluated due to easier scoring and higher interobserver reproducibility, intraepithelial TILs may provide additional insights into anti-tumor immunity. 7 We aimed to comprehensively characterize immunotype-associated cellular landscapes in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and identify features associated with clinical outcomes. Methods 212 TNBC tumors were classified into three immunotypes based on immune infiltrate location and density: immune desert (ID), immune excluded (IE), and immune inflamed (IN). 8 Single-cell spatial transcriptomics was performed on 75 tumors to define the cellular composition and functional states of the tumor microenvironment across immunotypes. Findings were validated and integrated with bulk RNA sequencing data and clinical outcome datasets from FinXX, CALGB-40603, I-SPY 2, and Real-World Clinico-Genomic Data (RWCGD) cohorts. Results Patients with IN tumors had significantly improved outcomes compared with ID tumors. Despite high sTILs, IE tumors showed poor outcomes similar to ID tumors. Single-cell spatial analysis revealed that ID and IE tumors exhibited reduced major histocompatibility complex I/II expression and fewer tumor-resident plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) compared with IN tumors, which were enriched for interferon-alpha (IFNα) and interferon-gamma (IFNγ) responses. High IFN response scores were associated with favorable outcomes across multiple therapy types in independent datasets. Deconvolution of RWCGD bulk RNA-seq data confirmed that pDC abundance correlated with improved outcomes specifically in hormone receptor–negative subtypes. Conclusions Our study highlights pDCs and IFN signaling as hallmarks of effective anti-tumor immunity in TNBC. Immunotype-based profiling underscores the limited prognostic value of sTILs alone in immune-excluded tumors and supports pDCs and IFN pathways as potential biomarkers for prognosis and therapeutic development in TNBC.
Liquid biopsy to stratify metastatic breast cancer progression risk using multi-analyte cell subtyping prior to systemic therapy.

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 28, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: No page available

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.e15060

e15060 Background: In metastatic Breast Cancer (mBC) Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) are an established prognostic indicator of patients (pts) with highly aggressive disease, poor clinical outcomes, and poor response rates to therapy. However, CTCs are typically found in < 20% of mBC pts and many pts without CTCs also progress. Cancer associated macrophage-like cells (CAMLs) are inflammatory tumor macrophages also found in blood, in > 90% of mBC, and are indicators of poor clinical outcomes independent of CTCs. We conducted a prospective study to model CTC & CAML subtypes from 212 mBC pt blood samples prior to induction of new systemic therapies to optimize and validate risk models based on 2-year outcomes of Progression-free survival (PFS) & Overall survival (OS). Methods: An observational multi-institutional prospective study was conducted on 212 mBC pts prior to induction of a new line of therapy who were progressing on their current therapy. Anonymized (7.5ml) whole blood samples were taken prior to therapy induction and filtered by CellSieve filtration. Quantities and subtypes of CTCs & CAMLs were categorized by their expression of CK+/CD45+/CD14+ for CAMLs and CK+/CD45-/CD14- for CTCs. PFS (RECIST v1.1) and OS hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated by censored univariate & multivariate analysis at 2 years. Results: Pt median age was 51 years (range 25-92); TNBC (44%), ER/PR+ (30%), HER2+ (15%). Pts were treated with chemotherapy alone (18%), immune checkpoint inhibitor (46%), targeted (40%), hormone (8%) and unknown (5%). 38% (81/212) pts had ≥1 CTCs which correlated with significantly poorer PFS (HR = 1.9; 95%CI 1.3-2.7; p = 0.0016) and OS (HR = 2.0; 95%CI, 1.3-3.0; p = 00025), with the most significant risk at ≥8 CTCs (14% pts), PFS (HR = 3.8; 95%CI, 2.1-6.9; p < 0.0001) and OS (HR = 7.2; 95% CI, 3.4-14.9; p < 0.0001). Independently, 93% (n = 196/212) of pts had ≥1 CAML, with a threshold of >40um size (84% pts) had significantly poorer PFS (HR = 2.0; 95% CI, 1.2-3.1; p = 0.0032), but not OS (HR = 1.5; 95%CI, 0.9-2.7; p = 0.1169). However, a threshold of >125um size CAML (43% pts) also had significantly poorer PFS (HR = 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.7; p = 0.0013) and OS (HR = 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0-2.5; p = 0.0233). By combining models, the best outcomes were seen in pts with 0 CTCs & 0 CAMLs (mPFS = 12.6 & mOS = 21.3), followed by 0 CTCs & ≥40um CAMLs (mPFS = 5.2 & mOS = 17.5) and 0 CTCs & ≥125um CAMLs (mPFS = 4.9 & mOS = 15.2). Poorer outcomes were seen with ≥1 CTCs (mPFS = 3.3 & mOS = 13.5) and the worst outcomes with ≥8 CTCs (mPFS = 2.5 & mOS = 4.8). Conclusions: CTCs were uncommon in mBC pts but correlated with very poor clinical outcomes. In parallel analysis, CAMLs were common with CAML size correlating with increasingly poorer outcomes. By combining CTC & CAML subtypes, mBC pts were more accurately stratified by risk of progression and death. Additional multivariate studies correlating treatment class and tumor response rates are ongoing.
Monitoring PD-L1 expression in circulating cancer associated cells for prediction of clinical outcomes in metastatic breast cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 28, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: No page available

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.e14535

e14535 Background: Anti-programmed cell death ligand PD-L1/PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are approved for metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients (pts) with a tumor combined positive score (CPS) ≥10% in their tissue. However, many pts with < 10% CPS may also respond to ICIs. Recent studies in lung cancer have shown that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and tumor-macrophage fusion cells (TMFCs) both express, and may upregulate, PD-L1 which is predictive for ICI responses. We initiated a prospective study to monitor PD-L1 in CTCs & TMFCs in mBC pts prior to receiving systemic ICIs to correlate their PD-L1 expression to progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) at 24 months. Methods: We conducted a multi-institutional prospective pilot study of n = 102 pts with pathologically confirmed mBC, having failed ≥1 prior lines of therapy, prior to receiving ICIs (n = 52 Pembrolizumab, n = 39 Retifanlimab, n = 5 Atezolizumab, and n = 1 Nivolumab). Anonymized blinded peripheral blood samples (7.5ml) were procured prior to ICI induction (T0) and (~40 days after ICI induction (T1). TMFCs & CTCs were isolated using Cellsieve microfilters with average PD-L1 expressions measured then categorized as negative/low or high. Tumor CPS was categorized as negative/low (< 10%) or high (> 10%). We compared TMFC PD-L1 to tissue CPS by linear regression. TMFC/CTC PD-L1 expression and tissue PD-L1 CPS were compared to pts’ PFS and OS by Cox proportional univariate and multivariate analysis over 24 months. Results: Of n = 102 pts, median age = 59 years (range 32-77); 42% (43/102) were ER+, 33% (33/102) were PR+, 5% (5/102) were HER2+, and 56% (57/102) were triple-negative. 32% (32/102) had an ECOG score of 0, 25% (26/102) had ECOG 1, and 43% of scores were unavailable. N = 42 pts had available tumor CPS data, which did not correlate to TMFC/CTC PD-L1 at T0 or T1. Pts with high CPS did not significantly predict for PFS (HR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.3-1.9; P = 0.7627) nor OS (HR = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.2-1.7; P = 0.4471). Pts with high TMFC/CTC PD-L1 at T0 also did not significantly predict for PFS (HR = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.5-1.2; P = 0.2799) nor OS (HR = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.4-1.6; P = 0.7220). However, of the n = 82 pts who provided T1 samples, high CTC/TMFC PD-L1 at T1 was significant for better PFS (HR = 2.55; 95% CI, 1.6-4.2; P = 0.0004) and better OS (HR = 2.06; 95%CI, 1.1-3.8; P = 0.0309). Conclusions: In this study of mBC pts treated with PD-L1 ICIs, tissue CPS did not correlate with PD-L1 expression in CTCs or TMFCs. Further, neither CPS nor baseline PD-L1 in CTC/TMFCs predicted for clinical outcomes in ICI therapies. However, PD-L1 in CTC/TMFCs ~40 days post-induction of ICI did predict for better response rates. While this study suggests predictive value of monitoring PD-L1 in blood during ICI therapies, further studies are required to refine and validate these findings.
Distinct late recurrence patterns and immune landscape of HER2-positive invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC): Analysis of NCCTG N9831 (Alliance) trial and real-world cohort.

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 27, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: 564-564

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.564

564 Background: HER2+ ILC is rare (~5% of ILC), with limited data on long-term adjuvant trastuzumab outcomes. We investigated late recurrence and immune landscapes of HER2+ ILC vs invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) in the phase III NCCTG N9831 trial (NCT00005970) and a real-world cohort. Methods: We evaluated 3304 early-stage HER2+ breast cancer patients (pts) enrolled in N9831 (122 ILC, 3182 IDC). Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated (Kaplan-Meier) and compared using multivariable Cox regression adjusting for age, tumor size, grade, hormone receptor (HR), and nodal status. Findings were validated in a real-world cohort of HER2+ pts (Caris Life Sciences CODEai platform). Immune microenvironments were profiled by WTS deconvolution (Quantiseq). Real-world overall survival was calculated from trastuzumab start to last contact. Results: In N9831, ILC pts were older (median 54 vs 49 y), more ER+ (74.6% vs 51.4%), and had more N3 disease (25.4% vs 12.7%) compared to IDC. ILC pts derived a comparable magnitude of benefit from adjuvant trastuzumab compared to the overall population (HR 0.58 vs 0.67). However, long-term outcomes diverged: while the 5-year RFS was similar (77.1% vs 82.7%), ILC pts experienced a steep decline between years 5-15 (77.1% to 57.7%; ~20% decline) vs IDC (82.7% to 72.7%; ~10% decline) after multivariable Cox analysis (Table). In the real-world early/advanced cohort (n=1328; 26 ILC vs 1302 non-ILC [subset IDC n=595]) treated with trastuzumab-based therapy, ILC pts had worse mOS (33.7 vs 68.6 m, HR 2.01, 95%CI 1.00-4.07, p=0.04) compared to non-ILC. However, there was no statistically significant difference when compared specifically to IDC (HR 1.77, 95% CI 0.87-3.61, p=0.11). ILC had: i) numerically lower tumor mutation burden (TMB)-high (4.2% vs 9.5%, p=0.38); ii) higher infiltration of B cells, Tregs, and M2 macrophages (p<0.05); iii) upregulated MHC class II expression (HLA-DOA, p<0.05); and iv) downregulated proliferative and DNA repair pathways (E2F, G2M, MYC; FDR <0.25) compared to non-ILC. Conclusions: HER2+ ILC carries late recurrence risk despite initial trastuzumab benefit. The unique immune landscape (Treg/M2 macrophage enrichment and lower proliferative signatures) distinguishes HER2+ ILC from IDC, highlighting the need for tailored strategies. Long-term RFS and OS in HER2-positive ILC vs IDC (N9831 trial). Population N 5-year% (95% CI) 10-year% (95% CI) 15-year% (95% CI) ILC 122 RFS 77.13% (69.9, 85.1) OS 84.04% (77.7, 90.9) RFS 70.57% (62.7, 79.4) OS 76.0% (68.7, 84.2) RFS 57.67% (44.2, 75.1) OS 65.22% (56.6, 75.2) IDC 3182 RFS 82.71% (81.4, 84.1) OS 90.18% (89.1, 91.2) RFS 77.45% (75.9, 78.9) OS 81.81% (80.4, 83.2) RFS 72.68% (70.77, 74.6) OS 76.68% (75, 78.4)
A randomized phase II trial of folate receptor alpha peptide vaccine in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 27, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: 536-536

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.536

536 Background: Folate receptor alpha (FRα) is overexpressed in ~80% of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC). We previously demonstrated that patients (pts) with breast cancer naturally mount immune responses to FRα. In prior Phase I and II studies, a GM-CSF-adjuvanted FRα peptide vaccine (FRPV) was safe and induced durable FRα-specific T-cell immunity in 83–90% of pts with breast and ovarian cancer. Methods: Eligible pts were women ≥18 years with TNBC (ER/PR ≤10%) with 1+ of the following: stage ≥T1c disease, node-positivity, or residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Pts were randomized 2:1 to receive FRPV or placebo (GM-CSF alone) every 28 days for cycles 2-7 and then every six months for 7 booster doses, with cycle 1 consisting of cyclophosphamide 50mg orally twice daily for days 1-7 and 15-21 (in both arms). Randomization was stratified by chemotherapy setting (adjuvant only vs neoadjuvant) and stage (I/II vs III). FRα expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The study was designed to detect (at 30 months after the last pt enrolled) a disease-free survival (DFS) difference of 14% assuming a 3.5-year DFS rate of 70% in the control group and with 78% power. Results: 280 pts were enrolled (median age 52). The majority had stage I or II tumors (n = 219, 78%). There were numerically more node-positive tumors in the vaccine arm, 78 (41%) vs 27 (32%), p = 0.15. Median follow-up was 3.5 years, and 33 (FRPV: 25, placebo: 8) DFS events were observed; 3.5-year DFS rate was 88% with FRPV and 90% with placebo (HR 1.42, 95% CI 0.64–3.15; p = 0.39). Overall survival (OS) also did not differ by arm (HR 2.48, 95% CI 0.55–11.20; p = 0.22). Among node-positive pts (n = 105), DFS did not differ between arms (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.34–2.66; p = 0.92). However, a numerical DFS event rate improvement (14% for vaccine vs. 26% for placebo) was observed in 61 patients with stage III disease (HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.16–1.68; p = 0.26). DFS did not differ by chemotherapy setting or by receipt of anthracycline, capecitabine, and/or an immune checkpoint inhibitor. FRPV was well tolerated, with predominantly grade 1–2 adverse events (AEs) and no vaccine-related grade ≥4 AEs. FRα expression was available from tumor in 230 pts, with 72% expressing > 0. Overall, DFS was not significantly associated with FRα expression (0 vs > 0; HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.21–1.44; p = 0.21), and no significant differences in DFS by FRα expression were observed between treatment arms. Conclusions: FRPV following oral cyclophosphamide was safe, with no vaccine-related high-grade AEs. While no significant improvement in DFS or OS was observed overall, a numeric trend toward improved DFS was observed in pts with stage III TNBC. This finding is hypothesis-generating and supports further evaluation of FRα-targeted vaccination in higher-risk TNBC. Immune correlative analyses are ongoing to better define vaccine immunogenicity and its relationship to clinical outcomes. Clinical trial information: W81XWH-15-1-0293.
Tissue-free minimal residual disease evaluation and clinical utility in early breast cancer: A real-world study.

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 27, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: 3052-3052

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.3052

3052 Background: Minimal residual disease (MRD) detected using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is associated with increased breast cancer (BC) relapse risk in patients (pts) with early BC after curative-intent surgery. However, the clinical utility of ctDNA-based MRD testing for post-surgical surveillance and risk stratification remains incompletely defined. We used real-world data to evaluate the performance of Guardant Reveal, a tissue-free epigenomic assay for MRD detection, and the clinical significance of a positive MRD test (+MRD) in pts with resected early BC. Methods: Data of pts with resected stage I-IIIA BC in the Guardant InfinityAI Data Library who underwent Guardant Reveal testing between February 2023 and September 2025 was analyzed. Pts with ≥1 post-surgical MRD were included if they had either no distant metastatic BC recurrence with ≥1 year of follow up after the last MRD test or a documented distant metastatic BC postoperatively; pts with a new non-breast primary malignancy were excluded. Sensitivity was assessed by site of distant metastasis and interval from MRD test to recurrence; nodal recurrences were excluded due to claims data limitations. Specificity was assessed using all tests from pts without recurrence and ≥1 year of follow up after the last post-treatment MRD test. Claims data were used to infer treatment changes following +MRD. Results: A total of 822 pts was analyzed. 114 pts with real-world clinico-genomics data were evaluable for sensitivity and 708 for specificity. One-year sensitivity for distant metastatic recurrence was 71%, and was highest for bone-only (97%, 35/36 cases) or lung (89%, 8/9 cases) recurrences and lowest for brain-only recurrences (33%, 1/4 cases). Sensitivity within 12 months of recurrence was higher in hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2-negative BC (79%) and stage IIIA BC (81%) and for multiple-organ versus single-organ metastasis (83% versus 69%). Sample-level specificity was 94%. Following +MRD, 41 pts did not initiate or switch systemic therapy; 29 had distant BC recurrence, including 24 within 90 days after +MRD. Twenty pts switched therapy within 90 days of +MRD; 19 recurred, including 17 within 90 days after +MRD. Among 10 pts with post-recurrence MRD testing, only 3 had +MRD. Conclusions: In a real-world cohort of pts with resected early-stage BC, a tissue-free epigenomic ctDNA MRD assay demonstrated high specificity and clinically meaningful sensitivity for distant metastatic recurrence, particularly for bone-only and lung metastases and in pts with HR+ BC. These findings support ctDNA-based MRD testing as a noninvasive tool for postsurgical surveillance and risk stratification in early BC.
Monitoring blood-based biomarkers as early predictors of progression-free survival in a randomized Bria-ABC phase 3 trial for advanced metastatic breast cancer: An ongoing analysis.

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 27, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: 2652-2652

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.2652

2652 Background: Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) are prognostic for poor outcomes in metastatic Breast Cancer (mBC), however CTCs are uncommon in mBC (<20%) and many pts without CTCs often progress. Cancer associated macrophage-like cells (CAML) are prognostic inflammatory pro-tumorigenic PD-L1 expressing macrophages common in mBC pt blood (>90%). In a previous randomized phase II trial, CTC & CAML decreases post Bria-IMT induction correlated with clinical benefit. Bria-IMT is an allogenic whole cell vaccine engineered to express tumor associated antigens & GM-CSF, promoting adaptive & innate immune responses. The ongoing Bria-ABC (NCT06072612) phase 3 study compares Bria-IMT to physician’s choice (TPC) in late stage mBC. We present interim results, without treatment arm comparison, for Progression Free Survival (PFS) by CTC & CAML changes as the exploratory part of the trial. Methods: This still blinded ongoing multicenter randomized open label Phase 3 trial evaluates Bria-IMT+ checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) vs TPC in mBC pts lacking approved therapies. Pts are randomized 1:1:1 to Bria-IMT+CPI, TPC, or Bria-IMT monotherapy (discontinued after 150 pts). The Bria-IMT consists of cyclophosphamide, irradiated SV-BR-1-GM cells, micro-dose pegylated α IFN at each inoculation site. CPI is administered day -3 to 3. TPC followed standard of care. Blinded anonymized blood was taken at baseline (BL), prior to therapy & 2nd (T1) taken at cycle 3 (~4 weeks post initiation). CTCs & CAMLs, and PD-L1 expressions, were quantified using LifeTracDx liquid biopsy with analysis of PFS by censored univariate analysis. Results: At time of analysis, >250 consented, >170 randomized, 119 had BL and 78 had T1. Median age 56 yrs [34–83], median 6 [2–13] prior lines of therapy, 31% TNBC, 62% ER+/PR+, & 15% HER2+. ≥1 CTCs were found in 25% (30/119) at BL & 22% (17/78) at T1. ≥1 CAMLs were found in 93% (111/119) at BL & 95% (74/78) at T1. At BL, ≥1 CTC was not significant for PFS (HR=1.7, CI95% 1.0-2.9, p=0.0513), but ≥2 CTCs was significant for worse PFS (HR=1.8 CI95% 1.1-3.1, p=0.0480). At T1, ≥1 CTCs nor ≥2 CTCs correlated with PFS (HR=0.9, p=0.8392) & (HR=1.6, p=0.1079), respectively. Further, a decrease in CTCs was seen in 11 pts but did not correlate with PFS (HR=0.7, p=0.6552). ≥1 CAML at BL nor T1 correlated with PFS (HR=1.2 CI95% 0.7-2.0, p=0.6811) or (HR=0.9 CI95% 0.7-2.5, p=0.5307), respectively. However, 51 pts (65%) had a decrease or stable CAML counts between BL & T1 which did significantly correlate with better PFS (HR=2.2 CI95% 1.2-3.9, p=0.0154). Conclusions: In an ongoing analysis of a heavily treated mBC pts, we observed that in the entire blinded population, 65% of pts had stability/drop in CAMLs significantly correlated with better PFS. Treatment arm specific comparisons will not be unblinded until completion of the designated milestone (144 mortalities). Clinical trial information: NCT06072612 .
Validation of pathology-based triage for the 21-gene recurrence score: A meta-analysis and qualitative synthesis of the Magee equations.

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 27, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: 1591-1591

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.1591

1591 Background: The 21-gene OncotypeDX (ODX) recurrence score (RS) is the standard for chemotherapy decision-making in HR+/HER2- early breast cancer (EBC), but cost limits accessibility in resource-constrained settings. The Magee equations (MEs) use routine pathology features (Nottingham grade and IHC; ER/PR/HER2/Ki-67) to estimate RS. We performed a meta-analysis to validate MEs performance as a triage tool for ODX testing and a qualitative synthesis to identify sources of discordance, highlighting the transition toward objective digital pathology AI models. Methods: A systematic review identified validation studies comparing MEs with RS in HR+ EBC. Studies with sufficient data to construct a 2X2 contingency table were included; neoadjuvant trials were excluded. Primary outcomes were Negative Predictive Value (NPV) for identifying low-risk cases (RS <26 for the current TAILORx cutoff and RS<31 for the historical cutoff) and ODX test sparing rate (TSR). Data were pooled using random-effects models. Qualitative themes regarding interpretation variability were extracted from study results and discussion sections. Results: Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria, representing 5396 patients in global cohorts from the USA, Mexico, Colombia, Jordan, France, Belgium, and Canada. For RS >26, Magee <18 achieved pooled NPV of 0.96 (95% CI: 0.94-0.97) and TSR 61% (95% CI:51%-69%). For RS >31, NPV increased to 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97-1.00) and TSR 52% (95% CI: 44%-59%). Pooled diagnostic performance for Magee <18 predicting RS <26 demonstrated 83% sensitivity and 71% specificity (AUC 0.81, LR+:2.53, LR-:0.28). Qualitative analysis of discordance identified: (1) Inter-observer variability: Nottingham mitotic counts and Ki-67 scoring were the primary drivers of score fluctuations. (2) IHC quantification: Variations in H-score calculation and Allred-to-H-score conversion introduced heterogeneity (3) Pre-analytical and biological factors: Inflammation and stromal proliferation occasionally inflated genomic RS; selection of non-representative blocks and intratumor heterogeneity further contributed to discordance (4) Technological solutions: Digital pathology and AI models emerge as solutions to standardize these variables. Conclusions: Magee-based triage provides a safe and cost-effective strategy for HR+ EBC risk stratification, with NPV up to 99% for excluding high-risk disease and sparing up to 61% of ODX testing. These results confirm a robust histopathological signal. Transitioning to objective digital pathomics provides a pathway to reduce manual subjectivity and democratize precision oncology globally. Pooled diagnostic accuracy of Magee equations by cutoff. Magee score and RS cutoff Number of studies Total patients Pooled NPV (95% CI) ODX test sparing rate (95% CI) Magee <18/ RS>26 8 4153 0.96 (0.94-0.97) 61% (51%-69%) Magee <18/ RS>31 5 1243 0.99 (0.97-1.00) 52% (44%-59%)