Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41493657›Full record

ArticleBreast cancer research and treatment2026

Prognosis and endocrine therapy efficacy in early breast cancer with estrogen receptor low expression.

Sihua Liu, Beidi Du, Mengmeng Zhang, Duanyang Zhai, Xutu Zhao, Nan Shao, Xiaying Kuang, Yunjian Zhang, Yawei Shi, Liang Yu and 1 more

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Article in Breast cancer research and treatment, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Sihua LiuBreast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Beidi DuBreast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Mengmeng ZhangBreast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Duanyang ZhaiBreast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Xutu ZhaoBreast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Nan ShaoBreast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Xiaying KuangBreast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Yunjian ZhangBreast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Yawei ShiBreast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Liang YuBreast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China. yuliang6@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
Ying LinBreast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58, Zhong Shan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China. linying3@mail.sysu.edu.cn.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 82372781
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo investigate the prognosis and endocrine therapy (ET) efficacy in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-low breast cancer.

methodsThis retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at a single institution in China from January 2010 to December 2020. Clinicopathological features, survival outcomes, and the effect of ET were compared among patients with ER-low, ER-high, and ER-negative breast cancer. Analyses were stratified by human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status (positive or negative).

resultsA total of 2951 patients were included, consisting of 131 (4.4%) ER-low, 2040 (69.1%) ER-high, and 780 (26.4%) ER-negative patients. In the HER2-negative subgroup, ER-low patients had significantly worse breast cancer-free survival (BCFS) (P = 0.016) and a higher risk of locoregional recurrence (P < 0.001) compared to ER-high patients, while no significant differences were observed in prognosis between ER-low and ER-negative patients. In the HER2-positive subgroup, there were no significant differences in prognosis among patients with different ER expression levels. ET could significantly reduce the risk of locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis and significantly improve BCFS for ER-low patients, especially in the HER2-negative subgroup. However, in the HER2-positive subgroup, ET did not improve BCFS or overall survival for ER-low patients.

conclusionHER2-negative/ER-low breast cancer has a similar clinical behavior to triple-negative breast cancer, and ET could significantly reduce the risk of recurrence and metastasis for this subgroup. However, in HER2-positive patients, ER-low breast cancer lacks a predictive role in prognosis and derives no clear benefit from ET.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Agents, HormonalBiomarkers, TumorBreast NeoplasmsReceptors, EstrogenAdultAgedErb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine KinasesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalNeoplasm StagingPrognosisRetrospective StudiesAntineoplastic Agents, HormonalBiomarkers, TumorERBB2 protein, humanErb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine KinasesReceptors, EstrogenBreast cancerEndocrine therapyER-lowPrognosis

Identifiers

PMID41493657

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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.