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Observational Study
. 2025 Aug;212(3):511-519.
doi: 10.1007/s10549-025-07745-z. Epub 2025 Jun 4.

Continuous glucose monitoring to characterize hyperglycemia during chemotherapy for early stage breast cancer

Sophie R Ulene  1 , Shikun Wang  2 , Joshua R Cook  3 , Fiona McAuley  4 , Margaux E Wooster  2 , Khadija F Faheem  2 , Andrew Varoli  2 , Julia E McGuinness  2 , Neil Vasan  2 , Meghna S Trivedi  2 , Katherine D Crew  2 , Erik Harden  2 , Cynthia Law  2 , Dawn L Hershman  2 , Melissa K Accordino  2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Continuous glucose monitoring to characterize hyperglycemia during chemotherapy for early stage breast cancer

Sophie R Ulene et al. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2025 Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: Diabetes (DM) and hyperglycemia during chemotherapy increase the risk of toxicity, yet the prevalence and patterns of hyperglycemia in early-stage breast cancer (ESBC) patients undergoing chemotherapy with concurrent dexamethasone remain poorly understood.

Methods: We conducted a prospective single-arm study using FreeStyle Libre Pro continuous glucose monitoring in patients with ESBC receiving chemotherapy from 12/2020-2/2022. Sensors measured interstitial glucose every 15 min and were reapplied every 2-3 weeks. Primary endpoints were (1) prevalence of hyperglycemia (≥ 1 reading ≥ 140 mg/dL), and (2) for those with hyperglycemia, the proportion of time spent hyperglycemic. Secondary endpoints included baseline glucose tolerance by A1c, changes in glucose-related biomarkers, and changes in patient-reported neuropathy, quality of life, and fatigue. Analysis was stratified by baseline A1c (euglycemic < 5.7%, prediabetes [pre-DM] 5.7-6.4%, diabetes [DM] ≥ 6.5%).

Results: Among 20 evaluable patients (median age: 60, BMI: 29.5 kg/m2), common chemotherapy regimens included docetaxel/cyclophosphamide (25%), paclitaxel/trastuzumab (20%), paclitaxel then doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (15%), docetaxel/carboplatin/trastuzumab/pertuzumab (15%), and cyclophosphamide/methotrexate/fluorouracil (15%). All patients received Dexamethasone. At baseline, 10 patients were euglycemic, 7 had pre-DM, and 3 had DM. All experienced hyperglycemia. Of 124,165 total glucose readings, 17% were ≥ 140 mg/dL. By cohort, the proportion of time spent hyperglycemic was 3.9% (euglycemic), 10% (pre-DM), and 73.3% (DM) (p < .0001). Mean glucose values were 95.5 mg/dL (euglycemic), 104.5 mg/dL (pre-DM), and 183.0 mg/dL (DM) (p < .0001).

Conclusion: All patients receiving chemotherapy for ESBC experienced hyperglycemia, with time spent hyperglycemic varying significantly by baseline A1c. Future research should explore approaches to and benefits of improving glycemic control during treatment in patients with baseline dysglycemia.

Trial registration: NCT04473378.

Keywords: Chemotherapy; Continuous glucose monitoring; Diabetes; Early-stage breast cancer; Hyperglycemia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: Author JM has received honoraria from OncLive and WebMD, and has served on advisory boards for Seagen, Gilead, and AstraZeneca. Author EH receives research funding from NCI grant UG1 CA189960 and has been employed by the Globally Healthy Living Foundation. Author MA has served in a consulting role for Disney. All other authors report no competing financial or non-financial interests relevant to the content of this manuscript.

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