Breast density reduction as a predictor for prognosis in premenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer: an exploratory analysis of the updated ASTRRA study

Abstract

Background: While the relationship between mammographic breast density reduction (MDR) and endocrine therapy efficacy has been reported in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer, it is still unclear in premenopausal women, especially in the case of adding ovarian function suppression (OFS) to antihormone therapy. The authors investigated the impact of MDR on prognosis stratified by treatment based on the updated results of the ASTRRA trial.

Materials and methods: The ASTRRA trial, a randomized phase III study, showed that adding OFS to tamoxifen (TAM) improved survival in premenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer after chemotherapy. The authors updated survival outcomes and assessed mammography before treatment and the annual follow-up mammography for up to 5 years after treatment initiation. Mammographic density (MD) was classified into four categories based on the Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System. MDR-positivity was defined as a downgrade in MD grade on follow-up mammography up to 2 years after randomization, with pretreatment MD grade as a reference.

Results: The authors evaluated MDR in 944 of the 1282 patients from the trial, and 813 (86.2%) had grade III or IV MD. There was no difference in the MDR-positivity rate between the two treatment groups [TAM-only group (106/476 (22.3%)) vs. TAM+OFS group (89/468 (19.0%)); P=0.217). MDR-positivity was significantly associated with better disease-free survival (DFS) in the TAM+OFS group (estimated 8-year DFS: 93.1% in MDR-positive vs. 82.0% in MDR-negative patients; HR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.16–0.85; P=0.019), but not in the TAM-only group (Pinteraction=0.039). MDR-positive patients who received TAM+OFS had a favorable DFS compared to MDR-negative patients who received only TAM (HR: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.13–0.70; P=0.005).

Conclusion: Although the proportion of MDR-positive patients was comparable between both treatment groups, MDR-positivity was independently associated with favorable outcomes only in the TAM+OFS group.