- Design
- Retrospective clinicopathological cohort
- Population
- 203 patients with early TNBC after neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus pembrolizumab
- Primary outcome
- Pathological response patterns and recurrence
- Effect
- pCR 63.1%; residual solitary focus 51.4%; mixed nodal response 7.4%
A review of 203 patients with early triple-negative breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus pembrolizumab, then surgery, described baseline biopsy and post-treatment pathology in detail. Published in Histopathology on 24 September 2026.
Pathological complete response was achieved in 63.1%. Higher grade, more tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes and higher Ki-67 were independently associated with it. Residual disease was most often a single confined focus (51.4%). Fibrotic tumour beds were commoner without complete response; stromal elastosis was commoner with it. Nodal response varied: 23.6% complete, 8.4% no response and 7.4% mixed. Recurrence was more frequent with residual nodal disease, low lymphocytes, multifocal disease and higher clinical stage.
This is a single-centre retrospective series, so the associations are descriptive. It supports careful reporting beyond a binary complete-response call: residual pattern, nodal response including mixed response, and the tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes on the baseline biopsy.
- Report tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes on the baseline core biopsy in triple-negative breast cancer
- Describe whether residual disease is a single focus or scattered
- Record nodal treatment effect, including mixed response across nodes
- Use a residual cancer burden approach for non-complete responders
Why it matters
Oncologists are deciding on adjuvant treatment from these reports, and a single pCR line hides relevant detail.
Don't overread it
A single-centre retrospective series; the predictors of recurrence are associations, not validated tools.
The statistics, in plain English
A complete response rate of 63.1% means about two in three patients had no invasive cancer left. Features 'associated with' recurrence here were not tested in an independent group.
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