Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33559780›Full record

SynthesisBreast cancer research and treatment2021

Association between BRCA mutational status and survival in patients with breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Miao Liu, Fei Xie, Miaoyu Liu, Yi Zhang, Shu Wang

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Breast cancer research and treatment, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Impact of GermlineOncology research · 2026
    Article
  6. Translational breast cancer research : a journal focusing on translational research in breast cancer · 2026
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Development and evaluation of aEJNMMI radiopharmacy and chemistry · 2025
    Article
  9. Observational
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Targeting Breast Cancer: An Overlook on Current Strategies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023
    Review
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Cancer Prevention with Molecular Targeted Therapies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022
    Article
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Miao LiuBreast Center, Peking University, People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
Fei XieBreast Center, Peking University, People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
Miaoyu LiuBreast Center, Peking University, People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
Yi ZhangBreast Center, Peking University, People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
Shu WangBreast Center, Peking University, People's Hospital, Beijing, China. shuwang@pkuph.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8651-4795

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundStudies evaluating role of BRCA mutations on the survival outcomes in breast cancer (BC) patients have given confounding results and hence, in this meta-analysis, we assessed the impact of BRCA mutations on survival in BC patients.

methodsStudies comparing survival outcomes of BC patients having BRCA mutations against wildtype BRCA phenotype were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and breast cancer-specific survival (BCCS) were the outcomes. Hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used for analysis. Subgroup analysis was performed for survival based on triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and follow-up durations. The meta-analysis was performed as per PRISMA guidelines.

resultsAltogether, 30 articles with 35,972 patients (mean age 45.6 years) were included. Patients with BRCA 1 mutation had significantly lower OS (HR [95% CI] 1.2 [1.08, 1.33]; P < 0.001), BRCA 2 mutation had significantly lower DFS (HR [95% CI] 1.35 [1.1, 1.67]; P = 0.0049) and BCSS (HR [95%CI] 1.46 [1.26, 1.7]; P < 0.0001), and TNBC patients with BRCA 1 mutation had significantly poor DFS (HR [95% CI] 1.65 [1.08, 2.54]; P = 0.0216). Based on follow-up duration, the OS in BRCA 1-mutated patients revealed significantly poorer outcomes in studies with ≤ 5 years (HR 1.48) and > 5 years (HR 1.14) of follow-up. In BRCA 2 -mutated patients, the OS was significantly poorer in studies with > 5 years of follow-up (HR 1.39, P < 0.05).

conclusionBC patients with BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 mutations had poor survival outcomes and hence screening patients with BC for BRCA mutations might help in strategizing their treatment and improving their survival.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsTriple Negative Breast NeoplasmsDisease-Free SurvivalFemaleHumansMiddle AgedMutationProportional Hazards ModelsBRCABreast cancerPrognosisSurvival

Identifiers

PMID33559780

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.