Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40312292›Full record

ArticleBreast cancer research : BCR2025

Unraveling breast cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy through integrated genomic, transcriptomic, and circulating tumor DNA analysis.

Menghao Dong, Jian Chen, Nannan Lu, Song Wang, Wenhui Wei, Ziming Wang, Jinnan Wang, Jinguo Zhang, Xinghua Han, Fufeng Wang and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Breast cancer research : BCR, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing 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

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Menghao Dong *Department of Clinical Oncology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
Jian Chen *Department of Clinical Oncology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
Nannan Lu *Department of Clinical Oncology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
Song WangNanjing Geneseeq Technology Inc., Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210032, China.
Wenhui WeiDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
Ziming WangDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
Jinnan WangDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
Jinguo ZhangDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
Xinghua HanDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
Fufeng WangNanjing Geneseeq Technology Inc., Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210032, China.
Qiuxiang OuNanjing Geneseeq Technology Inc., Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210032, China.
Hua BaoNanjing Geneseeq Technology Inc., Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210032, China.
Xiaopeng MaDepartment of Breast Surgery, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China. xiaopengma@fsyy.ustc.edu.cn.
Benjie ShanDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China. ustcshanbenjie@gmail.com.
Yueyin PanDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China. panyueyin@ustc.edu.cn.

Funding

Anhui Province Clinical Medicine Transformation Special Research 202304295107020057Anhui Province University Research and Innovation Team 2022AH010077National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 82172775
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionNeoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is a standard treatment for breast cancer (BC) to shrink tumors and facilitate surgery. However, the molecular underpinnings of response to NAC and prognosis have not been well characterized.

methodsWe enrolled 73 stage II/III BC patients who received NAC followed by surgery. Tumor tissue samples were available from 36 patients at baseline and 38 at the time of surgery. Plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was collected at three time points: before NAC (n = 63), during NAC (n = 42), and after NAC (n = 40). Comprehensive genomic, transcriptomic, and ctDNA analyses were performed to identify biomarkers associated with pathological complete response (pCR) and survival outcomes.

resultsNine baseline mutations, including DNHD1 and PLEC, along with HIPPO pathway alterations, were associated with pCR. Responsive tumors exhibited immune activation and downregulated PI3K-Akt and AGE-RAGE pathways, while non-pCR tumors showed reduced cytokine and immune receptor activity. Undetectable ctDNA during and after NAC was predictive of treatment efficacy and correlated with improved survival. Baseline mutations in USH2A were associated with shorter disease-free survival (hazard ratio: 11.9; 95% confidence interval: 2.8-50.8; P < 0.001), with a consistent trend observed for overall survival. Elevated NHSL1 expression in baseline tumors indicated an initial treatment response but was later associated with tumor relapse and poor overall survival (P = 0.026 and P = 0.023, respectively), findings that were validated in an independent clinical cohort (N = 30) through immunohistochemistry staining.

conclusionOur comprehensive multi-omics analysis identified promising biomarkers predictive of treatment response and survival in BC patients receiving NAC followed by surgery. These findings underscore the importance of early tumor assessment for improved patient stratification and prognostication.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsBiomarkers, TumorBreast NeoplasmsCirculating Tumor DNATranscriptomeAdultAgedFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGenomicsHumansMiddle AgedMutationNeoadjuvant TherapyNeoplasm StagingPrognosisBiomarkers, TumorCirculating Tumor DNABreast cancerMolecular biomarkersNeoadjuvant chemotherapyPathological complete response

Identifiers

PMID40312292
PMCPMC12044986

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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.