Research Article: Prognostic value of androgen receptor expression in ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer: evidence from a contemporary Chinese cohort
Abstract:
The prognostic significance of androgen receptor (AR) expression in ER+/HER2? luminal breast cancer remains controversial, particularly in the context of neoadjuvant therapy. Most available evidence is derived from Western populations, and data from contemporary Asian cohorts are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the association between AR expression and survival outcomes in a real-world Chinese cohort.
We retrospectively analyzed 422 patients with primary ER+/HER2? breast cancer treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between December 2020 and November 2021. AR expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry, and patients were stratified using a predefined cutoff. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify factors associated with DFS. Exploratory subgroup analyses were performed among patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, particularly those without pathological complete response (pCR).
Higher AR expression was significantly associated with prolonged DFS, whereas no significant association with OS was observed during the current follow-up period. In multivariable analysis, baseline tumor T stage, progesterone receptor expression, and AR expression were independently associated with DFS. Among patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy who did not achieve pCR, AR expression was also associated with DFS. Sensitivity analyses treating AR as a continuous variable showed directionally consistent but non-significant results.
AR expression may have prognostic value in ER+/HER2? breast cancer, particularly for DFS and in selected patients with residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Further prospective studies with longer follow-up are warranted.
Introduction:
The prognostic significance of androgen receptor (AR) expression in ER+/HER2? luminal breast cancer remains controversial, particularly in the context of neoadjuvant therapy. Most available evidence is derived from Western populations, and data from contemporary Asian cohorts are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the association between AR expression and survival outcomes in a real-world Chinese cohort.
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