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. 2025 May 20;17(10):1715.
doi: 10.3390/cancers17101715.

Survival Outcomes of Luminal Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients According to Changes in Molecular Subtype at Re-Biopsy: Insights from the GIM-13-AMBRA Study

Marina Elena Cazzaniga  1   2 , Paolo Pronzato  3 , Domenico Amoroso  4 , Grazia Arpino  5 , Francesco Atzori  6 , Alessandra Beano  7 , Laura Biganzoli  8 , Giancarlo Bisagni  9 , Livio Blasi  10 , Cristina Capello  11 , Rita Chiari  12 , Alessia D'Alonzo  13 , Michelino De Laurentiis  14 , Angela Denaro  15 , Alessandra Fabi  16 , Daniele Farci  17 , Francesco Ferraù  18 , Elena Fiorio  19 , Alessandra Gennari  20 , Francesco Giotta  21 , Filippo Giovanardi  22 , Vanesa Gregorc  23 , Lorenzo Livi  24   25 , Emanuela Magnolfi  26 , Anna Maria Mosconi  27 , Raffaella Palumbo  28 , Palma Pugliese  29 , Carlo Putzu  30 , Giuseppina Rosaria Rita Ricciardi  31 , Ferdinando Riccardi  32 , Laura Scortichini  33 , Simon Spazzapan  34 , Pierosandro Tagliaferri  35 , Nicola Tinari  36 , Giuseppe Tonini  37 , Anna Maria Vandone  38 , Giorgio Mustacchi  39
Affiliations

Survival Outcomes of Luminal Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients According to Changes in Molecular Subtype at Re-Biopsy: Insights from the GIM-13-AMBRA Study

Marina Elena Cazzaniga et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Introduction: The treatment of MBC patients is guided by receptor status, with re-biopsy at relapse recommended to reassess hormone receptor (HR) status. Various treatment options are available for HER2-veMBC, including CDK4/6 inhibitors, PARP inhibitors, and checkpoint inhibitors. The study highlights the importance of determining receptor subtype for guiding treatment choices. Patients and Methods: The GIM 13 AMBRA study is a longitudinal cohort study involving 42 centers in Italy. It includes data from 939 HER2- MBC patients enrolled between May 2015 and September 2020. The study analyzes the impact of HR expression changes on clinical outcomes using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and other statistical methods. Results: Among the 939 patients, 588 were rebiopsied at first relapse. The study found no significant differences in disease-free survival (DFS), progression-free survival (PFS), or overall survival (OS) between patients whose tumors changed molecular subtype and those who did not. However, post-progression survival from first-line treatment (PPS1) was different between the two groups. Discussion: The study confirms the phenomenon of receptor discordance between primary tumors and metastases. It emphasizes the need for re-biopsy in recurrent MBC to guide treatment strategies. The findings align with previous studies and highlight the importance of understanding receptor changes for improving patient outcomes. Conclusions: The GIM 13 AMBRA study provides valuable insights into the impact of molecular subtype changes on survival outcomes in Luminal MBC patients. It underscores the importance of re-biopsy and personalized treatment strategies in managing metastatic breast cancer.

Keywords: HER2 negative; biopsy; metastatic breast cancer; retesting.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Consort diagram describes the enrolled population, and the final Luminal population considered for the present analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
PFS Kaplan Meyer curves according to molecular subtype.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Normal probability plots of PFS1 according to the change in molecular subtype.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Normal probability plots of PFS2 (months) according to the change (or not) in molecular subtype.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Normal probability plots of (a) PPS1 (months) and (b) OS (years) according to the change (or not) in molecular subtype.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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