Impact of treatment response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy on brain metastasis patterns and breast cancer prognosis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Brain metastases (BM) are a major cause of mortality in breast cancer. While pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with favorable survival outcomes, its impact on BM development and prognosis remains unclear.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 1,244 patients with early-stage breast cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery. Clinicopathological features, BM incidence, and survival outcomes were assessed. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to adjust for baseline differences. Gene expression profiling was performed in BM samples from pCR and non-pCR patients.

Results

Of these, 437 (35.1 %) patients achieved pCR and 52 (4.2 %) developed BM. In TNBC, non-pCR patients had a significantly

SUBMITTER: Yoo J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12666593 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature