Immune-related adverse events as predictors of pathological complete response in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer treated with pembrolizumab.
[PURPOSE] Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy improved pathological complete response (pCR) rates in early triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
APA
Güren AK, Demircan NC, et al. (2026). Immune-related adverse events as predictors of pathological complete response in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer treated with pembrolizumab.. Immunotherapy, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750743X.2026.2662201
MLA
Güren AK, et al.. "Immune-related adverse events as predictors of pathological complete response in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer treated with pembrolizumab.." Immunotherapy, 2026, pp. 1-10.
PMID
42011533
Abstract
[PURPOSE] Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy improved pathological complete response (pCR) rates in early triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the relationship between immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and treatment response remains unclear. This study evaluated the association between the development of irAEs and pCR in TNBC patients receiving neoadjuvant pembrolizumab-based therapy.
[METHOD] In this multicenter retrospective study, early TNBC patients who received neoadjuvant pembrolizumab-based therapy were evaluated. Clinicopathologic features, irAE occurrence, and pCR rates were recorded and analyzed.
[RESULTS] Among 203 patients who completed neoadjuvant treatment and underwent surgery, 127 (62.6%) achieved pCR. irAEs were more frequent in the pCR group compared with the non-pCR group (35.4% vs 19.7%, respectively; = 0.01). Both univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed a significant association between irAE development and pCR.
[CONCLUSION] In patients with early TNBC treated with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab, irAEs occurred more often in those achieving pCR. These findings suggest that irAEs may reflect enhanced immune activation and could serve as a potential indicator of treatment response. Further prospective studies are needed to validate this observation and clarify its clinical relevance.
[METHOD] In this multicenter retrospective study, early TNBC patients who received neoadjuvant pembrolizumab-based therapy were evaluated. Clinicopathologic features, irAE occurrence, and pCR rates were recorded and analyzed.
[RESULTS] Among 203 patients who completed neoadjuvant treatment and underwent surgery, 127 (62.6%) achieved pCR. irAEs were more frequent in the pCR group compared with the non-pCR group (35.4% vs 19.7%, respectively; = 0.01). Both univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed a significant association between irAE development and pCR.
[CONCLUSION] In patients with early TNBC treated with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab, irAEs occurred more often in those achieving pCR. These findings suggest that irAEs may reflect enhanced immune activation and could serve as a potential indicator of treatment response. Further prospective studies are needed to validate this observation and clarify its clinical relevance.