Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41670749›Full record

Observational studyBreast cancer research and treatment2026

Defining prognostic subgroups and treatment outcomes in estrogen receptor low-positive de novo metastatic breast cancer.

Madelyn F Klugman, Maya Aboumrad, Ruizhe Chen, Catherine H Marshall, Jenna V Canzoniero, Antonio C Wolff, Kala Visvanathan

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study 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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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

7 authors.

Madelyn F KlugmanDepartment of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. mklugma2@jh.edu.
Maya AboumradDepartment of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Ruizhe ChenDepartment of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Catherine H MarshallDepartment of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Jenna V CanzonieroDepartment of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Antonio C WolffDepartment of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Kala VisvanathanDepartment of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. kvisvan1@jhu.edu.

Funding

Translational Research Central ServicesP30CA006973 · NCI · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI ALAN KEITH MEEKER · 1985 to 2026
$208.6M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA006973NCI NIH HHS P30CA006973
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrognostic factors and treatment outcomes have been identified in estrogen receptor (ER) low-positive early-stage breast cancer. This study evaluates outcomes in ER low-positive de novo metastatic breast cancer (dnMBC) patients.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults with human epidermal receptor-2 negative dnMBC diagnosed from 2018 to 2021 in the National Cancer Database. We classified ER status as negative (< 1%), low-positive (1-10%), or positive (11-100%). We compared overall survival by ER status using Cox regression, adjusting for age, metastatic sites, race/ethnicity, comorbidities, insurance, and treatment receipt. We then analyzed the cohort with ER low-positive patients stratified by progesterone receptor (PR) status, defined as negative (< 1%) or positive (1-100%). Among ER low-positive patients, we evaluated survival by first-course treatment. We distinguished cytotoxic chemotherapy from cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) therapy based on the timing of endocrine therapy and chemotherapy.

resultsAmong 27,672 patients, 3% had ER low-positive dnMBC. ER low-positive/PR-positive patients had longer median (95% CI) survival [19.8 (14.8-24.8) months] compared to both ER low-positive/PR-negative [11.8 (10.6-13.5) months] and ER-negative [12.9 (12.5-13.6) months] patients. ER low-positive/PR-positive patients had decreased risk of death compared to ER-negative patients (hazard ratio = 0.84, 95% CI 0.71-1.00), while ER low-positive/PR-negative patients did not. ER low-positive dnMBC patients who received chemotherapy followed by endocrine therapy (± CDK4/6i) or endocrine therapy + CDK4/6i had improved or similar survival compared to patients who received chemotherapy alone.

conclusionsPR-positivity identifies a subgroup of ER low-positive dnMBC patients with superior survival compared to ER-negative patients. First-line treatment incorporating endocrine therapy may be appropriate to consider for ER low-positive patients.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsBiomarkers, TumorBreast NeoplasmsDiagnosis-Related GroupsReceptors, EstrogenAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm MetastasisPrognosisProportional Hazards ModelsReceptors, ProgesteroneRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeBiomarkers, TumorReceptors, EstrogenReceptors, Progesterone

Identifiers

PMID41670749
PMCPMC12894150

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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 Socratic graph.