RESIDUAL CANCER BURDEN (RCB) AS A PROGNOSTIC MARKER IN BREAST CANCER FOLLOWING NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY: IMPLICATIONS FOR SURVIVAL OUTCOMES AND TREATMENT OPTIMIZATION drgitikananda@gmail.com

 

RESIDUAL CANCER BURDEN (RCB) AS A PROGNOSTIC MARKER IN BREAST CANCER FOLLOWING NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY: IMPLICATIONS FOR SURVIVAL OUTCOMES AND TREATMENT OPTIMIZATION

3

India

Oral or Poster

Breast cancer is a biologically diverse malignancy with subtype-specific responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). While NAC facilitates tumor downstaging and breast-conserving surgery, a substantial proportion of patients exhibit residual disease, which is a key determinant of long-term prognosis. Residual Cancer Burden (RCB) has emerged as a standardized metric to quantify post-NAC tumor response, but its prognostic value across subtypes remains underexplored

A cohort of 248 patients with stage I–III breast cancer who received NAC followed by surgery between 2015 and 2023 was analyzed retrospectively and prospectively. Clinical data, tumor subtype, treatment regimen, and pathological findings were collected. RCB was calculated using established scoring criteria based on residual tumor size, cellularity, and lymph node involvement. Survival outcomes, including recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS), were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards regression. Subgroup analyses were conducted by molecular subtype

Higher RCB classes were significantly associated with advanced pathological stage, nodal positivity, and inferior survival outcomes (p < 0.001). Multivariable Cox regression confirmed RCB as an independent predictor of both RFS and OS (p < 0.001). The prognostic effect of RCB varied across subtypes, with stronger associations observed in triple-negative and HER2-positive tumors

RCB is a robust, independent prognostic marker for survival following NAC in breast cancer, offering critical guidance for risk stratification and tailored post-surgical treatment strategies