Neoadjuvant dual-targeted HER2 therapy and neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy is associated with improved nodal PCR and reduced axillary surgery

Researchers used National Cancer Database data to evaluate nodal pathologic complete response rates and their associations with axillary lymph node dissection trends and overall survival in patients with node-positive, HER2-positive, or triple-negative breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The study found that nodal pathologic complete response rates improved across all subtypes, with particularly higher rates among patients with triple-negative breast cancer who were treated with immunotherapy and patients with HER2+ disease who were treated in the dual-agent era. Nodal pathologic complete response rates were associated with decreased axillary lymph node dissection.