Abstract PO3-14-04: Prognostic value of systemic inflammatory markers in neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast triple negative cancer with pembrolizumab: development of a nomogram
Authors: Giovanardi Filippo , Bisagni Giancarlo , Gasparini Elisa , Bologna Alessandra , Cicilia Roberto Di , Moretti Gabriella , Esposti Claudia Degli , Pinto Carmine 
Published: May 2024

Introduction:

Systemic inflammatory markers derived from peripheral blood cells, such as the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR), have shown promise as prognostic markers for various cancer types. Inflammation plays a crucial role in cancer development, progression, metastasis, and resistance to treatment. However, only a few preoperative biomarkers have been identified as independent prognostic markers. Systemic inflammatory markers offer a reliable and easily accessible approach for prognosis evaluation. Materials and Methods:

This study evaluated two groups of patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer outside of clinical trials. The first group underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 2021 with the EC X4 and weekly paclitaxel regimen, whereas the second group received neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 2022 following the KEYNOTE-522 study protocol with pembrolizumab. A total of 44 patients were included, with 23 patients in the pembrolizumab group. The NLR was defined as the absolute blood neutrophil count divided by the absolute lymphocyte count, and the derived neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) was defined as the absolute neutrophil count divided by the derived lymphocyte count (absolute leukocyte count —neutrophil count). The PLR was defined as the absolute platelet count divided by the absolute lymphocyte count. The LMR was defined as the absolute lymphocyte count divided by the absolute monocyte count. The association between systemic inflammatory markers (NLR, dNLR, PLR, and LMR) and pathological complete response (pCR) was analyzed using statistical tests. Inflammatory markers were evaluated at the time of diagnosis, at the time of chemotherapy regimen change, and two weeks before surgery. The χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test was used to analyze the correlation between the inflammatory indices and clinicopathologic parameters. Student’s t-test was used to compare different groups of continuous parametric data. Results:

The pCR rates were 67% in the standard therapy group and 87% in the pembrolizumab group. There were no significant differences in other clinical characteristics between the two groups. The NLR, dNLR, PLR, and LMR at 6 months showed statistically significant differences compared to baseline levels. This difference was more evident in patients undergoing pembrolizumab therapy. ROC curves for the pembrolizumab group demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.737, indicating a strong correlation between these systemic inflammatory markers and pCR. Based on these data, a nomogram was constructed to predict the likelihood of achieving pCR in patients undergoing neoadjuvant pembrolizumab therapy. Conclusion:

This study highlights the potential of systemic inflammatory markers as prognostic indicators in patients with TNBC undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The significant differences observed in the pembrolizumab group and the high AUC of the ROC curves suggest the utility of these markers in predicting treatment response. The developed nomogram provides a practical tool for clinicians to estimate the probability of pCR based on NLR, dNLR, PLR, and LMR. Further research and validation are required to confirm the clinical utility of these markers in larger patient cohorts.

Nomogram

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ROC curve

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Citation Format: Filippo Giovanardi, Giancarlo Bisagni, Elisa Gasparini, Alessandra Bologna, Roberto Di Cicilia, Gabriella Moretti, Claudia Degli Esposti, Carmine Pinto. Prognostic value of systemic inflammatory markers in neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast triple negative cancer with pembrolizumab: development of a nomogram [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO3-14-04.