Key clinical point: Pathologic regional lymph node stages I-III (pN1-3) and pathologic tumor size stage IV (pT4) were associated with worse long-term breast-cancer–specific survival (BCSS) outcomes in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer (BC).
Major finding: In patients who were followed up for more than 60 months, increasing vs no nodal involvement (pN1-3 vs pN0; all hazard ratios [HR] >3; all P ≤ .001) and a tumor size of pT4 vs pT1 (HR 4.528; P = .007) were associated with poor BCSS outcomes.
Study details: This study used data from a registry to analyze 20,672 patients with HER2+ stage I-III BC who underwent surgery.
Disclosures: This study was supported by the Korean Breast Cancer Society. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Kang YJ et al. Predictive biological factors for late survival in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Sci Rep. 2023;13:11008 (Jul 7). Doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-38200-y