Capivasertib and fulvestrant for patients with HR-positive/HER2-negative advanced breast cancer: analysis of the subgroup of patients from Japan in the Phase III CAPItello-291 trial
Tokunaga E, Iwata H, Itoh M, et al. Breast Cancer. 2025;32(1):132–143.
Summary. The Phase III CAPItello-291 trial showed that capivasertib plus (+) fulvestrant improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with hormone receptor–positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative (HER2–) advanced breast cancer, including the PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN-altered population, who progressed during or after aromatase inhibitor therapy. In this subgroup analysis of Japanese patients, median PFS was 13.9 months in the capivasertib+fulvestrant arm (n=37), compared to 7.6 months in the placebo+fulvestrant arm (n=41; hazard ratio [HR]: 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.40–1.28). Among patients with PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN-altered tumors (n=19 for each arm), median PFS was longer in the capiversatib+fulvestrant arm, at 13.9 months, compared to the placebo+fulvestrant arm, at 9.1 months (HR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.29–1.39). PFS was also improved in the non-PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN-altered population with capivasertib+fulvestrant. Safety outcomes were similar to the overall CAPItello-291 population.
* PMID: 39379782; PMCID: PMC11717841
The prognostic impact of HER2 status and survival outcomes in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer
Turkel A, Baydar E, Çolak R, et al. In Vivo. 2025;39(6):3617–3625.
Summary. In this multicenter, retrospective study, researchers assessed the prognostic impact of HER2 status on recurrent and de novo metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Among 168 patients, 121 had HER2– disease and 47 had HER2-low disease. At a median follow-up of 44 months, overall median PFS was nine months and overall median overall survival (OS) was 22 months. Median PFS was lower among patients with HER2– TNBC compared to those with HER2-low TNBC, but this difference was not significant (8 vs. 11 months, p=0.167). However, median OS was significantly shorter in the HER2– group compared to the HER2-low group (19 vs. 33 months, p=0.026). Multivariate analysis identified a significant association between HER2-low disease and improved OS.
* PMID: 41167699, PMCID: PMC12588230
Predictive value of ultrasound assessment of axillary and brachial artery parameters for lymph node metastasis in patients with breast cancer
Bi J, Yao T, Yao Y, et al. Am J Cancer Res. 2025;15(3):1066-1080.
Summary. This retrospective case-control study assessed whether ultrasound-measured parameters of the axillary and brachial arteries could predict axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM) in 172 patients with breast cancer. Compared with patients without ALNM, those with ALNM showed significantly higher axillary artery diameter (5.98±0.85mm vs. 5.59±0.78mm, p=0.002) and resistive index (0.73±0.11 vs. 0.68±0.10, p=0.004). Brachial artery measurements showed similar trends. Logistic regression revealed strong associations between arterial indices and ALNM. A combined model using multiple vascular parameters achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.984, outperforming any single measure. Therefore, ultrasound evaluation of axillary and brachial artery parameters might offer a noninvasive method for predicting ALNM.
* PMID: 40226470, PMCID: PMC11982729
Evaluating survival trends over time in patients with metastatic breast cancer and brain metastases: a single-center retrospective cohort study
Krasnow NA, Jayaraj M, Salans M, et al. Breast Cancer Res. 2025;27(1):191.
Summary. Among 507 patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and brain metastases, median real-world OS from brain metastasis diagnosis to death was 21.6 months. Median OS was longer among patients with HER2+ MBC (n=197), at 31.0 months, compared to those with HR+, HER2– MBC (n=184) or TNBC (n=126), at 19.6 and 12.8 months, respectively (both p<0.001). In the HER2+ and TNBC groups, median OS was significantly longer among patients diagnosed from 2015 to 2024, compared to those diagnosed from 1997 to 2014 (p=0.002 and 0.020, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that HER2+ disease, brain metastasis diagnosis after 2014, and surgical resection of brain metastasis were significantly associated with improved real-world OS, whereas extracranial metastatic sites at brain metastasis diagnosis, TNBC, leptomeningeal disease, and having 6 to 10 brain metastases were significantly associated with decreased real-world OS.
* PMID: 41153023, PMCID: PMC12570416
“Who’s gonna take care of my babies?” The impact of children on treatment decisions for women with metastatic breast cancer: a qualitative analysis
Tomczik K, Niznik J, Coombs LA. BMC Cancer. 2025;25(1):1662.
Summary. Researchers conducted a subanalysis of an ongoing mixed-methods study to determine whether having children/grandchildren influenced treatment decisions among patients with MBC. Twelve of 13 participants had children. Five participants responded that children and/or grandchildren were primary factors in decision-making; participants expressed maximizing their survival to spend more time with their children, concerns about looking ill to their children, and wanting to watch their grandchildren grow up. Seven participants valued treatments without significant side effects that did not compromise functioning or quality of life; for some of these participants, their children played a role by helping with activities of daily living and providing emotional support.
* PMID: 41152766, PMCID: PMC12570761
Prognostic value of the systemic immune-inflammation index in recurrent/metastatic triple-negative breast cancer: a retrospective cohort study
Zhao J, Chen X, Zhang Z, et l. Gland Surg. 2025;14(10):1858–1872.
Summary. Among 62 patients with recurrent/metastatic TNBC who underwent surgical treatment, average systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) was 895.71 among those with progressive disease during follow-up (n=32, 52.5%) and 461.74 for those without progressive disease (n=29, 46.8%). The optimal cutoff value for SII was determined to be 460.45; 43 patients had high SII (≥460.45). Postrecurrence survival (PRS) was significantly shorter in patients with high SII, compared to those with low SII (long-rank p=0.007). According to multivariate analysis, SII prior to secondary surgery and primary maximum tumor diameter were independent risk factors for PRS.
* PMID: 41215862, PMCID: PMC12596502
Diagnostic test accuracy of apparent diffusion coefficient in evaluation of breast cancer lymph node metastasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Azizzadeh A, Zeinalkhani F, Hakim PK, Mousavi A. Cancer Rep (Hoboken). 2025;8(11):e70395.
Summary. Researchers reviewed 26 studies including 2,828 participants to determine the accuracy of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) derived from diffusion weighted imaging to detect LNM in breast cancer. Pooled sensitivity and specificity for ADC were 88.6 and 83.6 percent, respectively. The summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) AUC was 0.92, which indicated excellent diagnostic ability. There was moderate heterogeneity between studies, primarily due to variations in true effect size. Retrospective study design and field of view of 350mm or greater were associated with significantly higher specificity. Pooled ADC value was 1.272 × 10−3mm2/s for benign lymph nodes and 0.874 × 10−3mm2/s for metastatic lymph nodes, resulting in a significant mean difference of 0.395 × 10−3mm2/s; this indicates that lower ADC can be utilized to distinguish between benign and metastatic lymph nodes.
* PMID: 41204890, PMCID: PMC12595605