{"id":5950,"date":"2026-10-08T03:41:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T18:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lunit.io\/en\/?post_type=publication&p=5950"},"modified":"2026-10-08T03:41:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T18:41:16","slug":"heterogeneity-of-breast-and-nodal-response-to-neoadjuvant-pembrolizumab-based-chemoimmunotherapy-in-early-triple-negative-breast-cancer-and-its-clinical-significance","status":"publish","type":"publication","link":"https:\/\/www.lunit.io\/en\/publication\/heterogeneity-of-breast-and-nodal-response-to-neoadjuvant-pembrolizumab-based-chemoimmunotherapy-in-early-triple-negative-breast-cancer-and-its-clinical-significance\/","title":{"rendered":"Heterogeneity of breast and nodal response to neoadjuvant pembrolizumab-based chemoimmunotherapy in early triple-negative breast cancer and its clinical significance"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Abstract<\/h3>\n
\n
\n

Aims<\/h3>\n

To characterize the heterogeneity of pathological responses in the breast and regional lymph nodes after neoadjuvant pembrolizumab-based chemoimmunotherapy in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and to explore their clinical implications.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

Methods and results<\/h3>\n

A total of 203 patients with TNBC treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with pembrolizumab followed by surgery were included. Histopathological features of baseline biopsy and post-treatment specimens, including residual carcinoma patterns and tumour-bed features, were systematically reviewed and correlated with treatment response and clinical outcomes. Pathological complete response (pCR) was achieved in 63.1% of patients. Higher histological grade, increased tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and higher Ki-67 labelling index were independently associated with pCR. Residual carcinoma patterns and tumour-bed changes were heterogeneous, with residual disease most commonly presenting as a solitary, confined focus (51.4%). Fibrotic tumour beds were more frequently observed in non-pCR cases, whereas stromal elastosis was enriched among pCR cases. Nodal responses were also heterogeneous, including complete nodal response (23.6%), non-response (8.4%), and mixed nodal response (7.4%). Disease recurrence was more frequent among patients without pCR, and among those with multifocal baseline tumours, higher cT stage, rare histological subtypes, low TILs and residual nodal disease.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

Conclusions<\/h3>\n

This real-world study provides a comprehensive pathological characterization of breast and nodal responses after neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in early TNBC, highlighting heterogeneity beyond pCR and ypN staging and offering a more detailed characterization of treatment-response patterns.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

View Abstract\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","publication-oncology":[81,133,94],"publication-region":[87],"publication-type":[],"radiology":[],"class_list":["post-5950","publication","type-publication","status-publish","hentry","publication-oncology-breast","publication-oncology-lunit-scope-io","publication-oncology-peer-reviewed-clinical-papers","publication-region-asia"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHeterogeneity of breast and nodal response to neoadjuvant pembrolizumab-based chemoimmunotherapy in early triple-negative breast cancer and its clinical significance - Lunit<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lunit.io\/en\/publication\/heterogeneity-of-breast-and-nodal-response-to-neoadjuvant-pembrolizumab-based-chemoimmunotherapy-in-early-triple-negative-breast-cancer-and-its-clinical-significance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Heterogeneity of breast and nodal response to neoadjuvant pembrolizumab-based chemoimmunotherapy in early triple-negative breast cancer and its clinical significance - Lunit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Abstract Aims To characterize the heterogeneity of pathological responses in the breast and regional lymph nodes after neoadjuvant pembrolizumab-based chemoimmunotherapy in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and to explore their clinical implications. 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