Skip to main content

Multigene Signature Can Help Tailor Chemo for Operable Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Oct 30, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 30, 2024 -- For patients with operative triple-negative breast cancer, a multigene signature can help tailor adjuvant chemotherapy, according to a study published online Oct. 23 in The BMJ.

Min He, from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer and Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer, and colleagues conducted a randomized phase 3 trial in seven cancer centers in China involving female patients aged 18 to 70 years with early triple-negative breast cancer after definitive surgery. After risk stratification using a multigene signature, patients at high risk were randomly allocated to receive an intensive treatment regimen composed of docetaxel, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide followed by four cycles of gemcitabine and cisplatin, or standard treatment (arm A: 166 patients; arm B: 170 patients). Patients at low risk received the same standard treatment (arm C: 168 patients).

The researchers found three-year disease-free survival rates of 90.9 and 80.6 percent for patients in arms A and B, respectively, at a median follow-up of 45.1 months (hazard ratio, 0.51). The three-year recurrence-free survival rate was 92.6 and 83.2 percent in arms A and B, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.50). The three-year overall survival rate did not differ significantly for patients in arms A and B. Patients in arm C had significantly higher rates of disease-free survival, recurrence-free survival, and overall survival than those in arm B receiving the same chemotherapy regimen.

"Intensive regimens incorporating gemcitabine and cisplatin led to significantly improved disease-free survival compared with standard anthracycline/taxane-based therapy in a well-defined subgroup of patients with operable triple-negative breast cancer," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Some Triple Negative Breast Cancers Might Be Avoided by Longer Breastfeeding

THURSDAY, May 15, 2025 -- Shorter breastfeeding duration and younger age at first birth are known risk factors for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and vary by race, according...

Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy Beneficial in BRCA1/2 Carriers With Personal History of Breast Cancer

TUESDAY, May 13, 2025 -- For carriers of pathogenic variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2 with a personal history of breast cancer, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) is beneficial...

Weight Gain, Late First Pregnancy Combo Increases Breast Cancer Risk

MONDAY, May 12, 2025 -- Weight gain combined with late first pregnancy (FP) or nulliparity is associated with an increased risk for breast cancer (BC), according to a study...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.