Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42268564›Full record

ArticleClinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico2026

Association of PD-L1 combined positive score with disease control and response kinetics with first-line pembrolizumab-based therapy in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer: results from routine clinical practice in Poland.

Małgorzata Pieniążek, Katarzyna Świderska, Aleksandra Konieczna, Iwona Danielewicz, Karolina Winsko-Szczęsnowicz, Agnieszka Roman, Justyna Żubrowska, Małgorzata Meluch, Jakub Wronowicz, Bogumiła Czartoryska-Arłukowicz and 3 more

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Article in Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico, 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
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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

13 authors.

Małgorzata PieniążekDepartment of Oncology, Wroclaw Medical University, Plac Hirszfelda 12, 53-413, Wrocław, Poland. malgorzata.pieniazek@umw.edu.pl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5864-0877
Katarzyna ŚwiderskaBreast Cancer Unit, Gliwice Branch, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institut of Oncology, Wybrzeże Armii Krajowej 15, 44-102, Gliwice, Poland.
Aleksandra KoniecznaDepartment of Breast Cancer and Reconstructive Surgery, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Roentgena 5, 02-781, Warsaw, Poland.
Iwona DanielewiczDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Maritime Hospital in Gdynia, Powstania Styczniowego 1, 81-519, Gdynia, Poland.
Karolina Winsko-SzczęsnowiczM. Skłodowska-Curie Bialystok Oncology Center, Ogrodowa 12, 15-027, Białystok, Poland.
Agnieszka RomanDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Ludwik Rydygier Hospital, Osiedle Złotej Jesieni 1, 31-820, Kraków, Poland.
Justyna ŻubrowskaDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Holy Cross Cancer Center, Artwińskiego 3, 25-734, Kielce, Poland.
Małgorzata MeluchDepartment of Breast Cancer and Reconstructive Surgery, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Roentgena 5, 02-781, Warsaw, Poland.
Jakub WronowiczStatistical Analysis Centre, Wroclaw Medical University, Marcinkowskiego 2-6, 50-368, Wroclaw, Poland.
Bogumiła Czartoryska-ArłukowiczM. Skłodowska-Curie Bialystok Oncology Center, Ogrodowa 12, 15-027, Białystok, Poland.
Michał JarząbBreast Cancer Unit, Gliwice Branch, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institut of Oncology, Wybrzeże Armii Krajowej 15, 44-102, Gliwice, Poland.
Aleksandra ŁackoDepartment of Oncology, Wroclaw Medical University, Plac Hirszfelda 12, 53-413, Wrocław, Poland.
Mirosława PüsküllüoğluDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Kraków Branch, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Garncarska 11, 31-115, Kraków, Poland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundProgrammed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression assessed by the combined positive score (CPS) is required for eligibility to first-line pembrolizumab-based therapy in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). However, the predictive value of CPS beyond treatment eligibility, particularly for disease control, response kinetics and response durability in real-world practice, remains uncertain. This study evaluated the association between CPS analyzed as a continuous variable and clinical outcomes in a Polish real-world mTNBC population.

methodsThis multicenter retrospective study included patients with PD-L1-positive (CPS ≥ 10) mTNBC treated with first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy across 13 oncology centers in Poland (2022-2025). CPS was assessed locally and primarily analyzed as a continuous variable with exploratory categorical analyses performed for descriptive and visualization purposes. Primary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and progression as best response. Secondary endpoints were time to best response (TTBR) and duration of response (DoR).

resultsSeventy-two patients were eligible for analysis. Median age was 57 years (IQR 48-67) and median CPS was 20 (IQR 15-50). After a median follow-up of 11.6 months, ORR was 48.6% and DCR was 88.9%. CPS did not differ between patients achieving ORR versus no ORR (p = 0.58) or DCR versus no DCR (p = 0.56), nor was it associated with progression as best response. CPS showed no correlation with TTBR (ρ = 0.02, p = 0.9) or DoR (ρ = -0.33, p = 0.05). In univariable analysis, CPS was not associated with PFS. However, in multivariable Cox regression, CPS showed a statistically significant association with PFS, although the effect size was minimal (HR 1.01 per CPS unit).

conclusionsIn real-world PD-L1-positive mTNBC, CPS was not significantly associated with response outcomes. Although statistically linked to PFS, the effect was minimal and likely not clinically meaningful, supporting its role as a threshold-based rather than quantitative biomarker.

Indexed as

BiomarkerCombined positive scorePembrolizumabProgrammed death-ligand 1Triple-negative breast cancer

Identifiers

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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.