Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42352402›Full record

ArticleCancers2026

Determining Optimal Fractionation of Neoadjuvant Radiation in Low-Risk, Early-Stage Breast Cancer-Randomized SIGNAL Clinical Trial.

Melanie Spears, Michael Lock, Brian Yaremko, Vida Talebian, Zoe Kerhoulas, Kalan S Lynn, William T Tran, Neil Gelman, Matthew Mouawad, Stewart Gaede and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

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

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

18 authors.

Melanie SpearsOntario Institute for Cancer Research, MaRS Centre, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada.
Michael LockLawson Health Sciences Research Institute, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3782-4463
Brian YaremkoLawson Health Sciences Research Institute, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5055-9027
Vida TalebianOntario Institute for Cancer Research, MaRS Centre, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada.
Zoe KerhoulasMedical Biophysics, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada.
Kalan S LynnLawson Health Sciences Research Institute, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada.
William T TranDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1P5, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-0733-7234
Neil GelmanLawson Health Sciences Research Institute, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada.
Matthew MouawadLawson Health Sciences Research Institute, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada.
Stewart GaedeLawson Health Sciences Research Institute, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada.
Allison MaciverLawson Health Sciences Research Institute, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada.ORCID 0009-0006-3799-9630
Megan HopkinsOntario Institute for Cancer Research, MaRS Centre, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada.ORCID 0009-0001-4868-0928
Linda LiaoOntario Institute for Cancer Research, MaRS Centre, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada.
Fang-I LuSunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
Anat KorneckiLawson Health Sciences Research Institute, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-6098-2091
Silvia C FormentiDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, NY 10065, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8227-8924
Sandra DemariaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, NY 10065, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4426-0499
Muriel BrackstoneLawson Health Sciences Research Institute, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-7741-2199

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNeoadjuvant partial breast irradiation using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has emerged as a strategy to induce tumor and immune responses in early-stage, low-risk breast cancer. While prior studies have demonstrated encouraging response rates and evidence of immune modulation, the optimal radiotherapy regimen for immune priming remains unclear. SIGNAL 2.0 is a randomized phase II trial designed to compare the biological and immunological impact of a single-fraction versus three-fraction neoadjuvant SBRT. MATERIALS AND

methodsSixty-one postmenopausal patients ≥ 50 years with unifocal, hormone positive, node-negative invasive ductal carcinoma < 3 cm were randomized 1:1 to receive either 21 Gy in one fraction or 30 Gy in three fractions, delivered to the tumor in the prone position. Core biopsies were collected pre-SBRT and 14-20 days post-SBRT at the time of surgery. Immune markers were assessed using tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) scoring, NanoString nCounter PanCancer Immune Profiling, and NanoString GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP).

resultsAvailable tumor samples from 47 patients underwent paired tissue analysis. Three-fraction SBRT induced 200 differentially expressed genes, including enrichment of pathways related to adaptive immune activation, with significant increases in expression levels of macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils and CD8 T-cells. Proteomic profiling also identified a significant increase in the expression levels of neutrophils, Treg cells, macrophages, and NK cells in the tumor microenvironment of the samples from patients receiving the three-fraction regimen.

conclusionsNeoadjuvant SBRT induces measurable immune activation, with three-fraction regimens generating more extensive transcriptional, proteomic, and cellular immune changes than a single fraction. Three-fraction neoadjuvant SBRT may provide superior immune priming, providing a foundation for future trials integrating neoadjuvant radiotherapy with immunomodulatory therapies.

Indexed as

breast cancerclinical trialgene expressionimmune-oncologystereotactic body radiotherapytumor-infiltrating lymphocyte

Identifiers

PMID42352402
PMCPMC13296448

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.