Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40956534›Full record

ArticleAnnals of surgical oncology2026

ESR1 Expression Negatively Correlates with Immune Cell Infiltration and Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Estrogen Receptor-Positive/HER2-Negative Breast Cancer.

Jun Arima, Kohei Chida, Rongrong Wu, Kohei Taniguchi, Amber McKenery, Brian G Morreale, Andrea M Monell, Scott I Abrams, John M L Ebos, Kenichi Hakamada and 6 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Annals of surgical oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

16 authors.

Jun Arima *Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Kohei Chida *Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Rongrong WuDepartment of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Kohei TaniguchiDivision of Translational Research, Center for Medical Research and Development, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
Amber McKeneryDepartment of Cancer Genetics and Genomics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Brian G MorrealeDepartment of Immunology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Andrea M MonellDepartment of Immunology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Scott I AbramsDepartment of Immunology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA.
John M L EbosDepartment of Cancer Genetics and Genomics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Kenichi HakamadaDepartment of Gastroenterological Surgery, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan.
Takashi IshikawaDepartment of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Seita HagiharaDepartment of General and Gastroenterological Surgery, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
Kosei KimuraDepartment of General and Gastroenterological Surgery, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
Mitsuhiko IwamotoDepartment of General and Gastroenterological Surgery, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
Sang-Woong LeeDepartment of General and Gastroenterological Surgery, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
Kazuaki TakabeDepartment of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA. kazuaki.takabe@roswellpark.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6435-4241

Funding

Department of Defense BCRP grants W81XWH-19-1-0111Department of Defense BCRP grants W81XWH-19-1- 0674National Institutes of Health grants R01CA-250412National Institutes of Health grants R01CA251545National Institutes of Health grants R01EB02959National Institutes of Health grants R37CA248018
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can improve the pathological complete response (pCR) rate in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer (BC), particularly in patients with low estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) expression. This would imply that ERα expression could be a predictive biomarker for ICI response. In clinical trials, centralized immunohistochemistry (IHC) minimizes variability, but routine clinical practice faces challenges from staining artifacts and interpretation variability. Transcriptomic analyses offer a standardized, quantitative alternative. Based on this, we investigated ESR1, the gene encoding ERα, as a predictive biomarker for ICI response.

methodsWe analyzed bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing (RNAseq) BC cohorts. Patients were stratified by ESR1 expression.

resultsIn the ER+/HER2- subtype, high ESR1 expression was associated with significantly less tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. High ESR1 expression was also associated with lower levels of key immune populations such as CD8

conclusionsHigh ESR1 expression was associated with an immunosuppressive TME in ER+/HER2- BC and is a more robust predictive biomarker for ICI response in this BC subtype.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorBreast NeoplasmsErb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine KinasesEstrogen Receptor alphaImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsLymphocytes, Tumor-InfiltratingFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMiddle AgedPrognosisReceptors, EstrogenTumor MicroenvironmentBiomarkers, TumorERBB2 protein, humanErb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine KinasesESR1 protein, humanEstrogen Receptor alphaImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsReceptors, EstrogenBCBiomarkerESR1ICIImmunotherapySingle-cell RNA sequencing

Identifiers

PMID40956534

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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.