Real-world outcomes of first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer with central nervous system metastases: A multicenter cohort from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

e13120 Background: Patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) and central nervous system (CNS) metastases have an exceptionally poor prognosis and very short survival. In the KEYNOTE-355 trial, pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy demonstrated a survival benefit in patients with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) positive (combined positive score [CPS]≥10) mTNBC. Although patients with previously treated and stable CNS metastases were eligible (3% of the intention-to-treat population), efficacy outcomes for this subgroup have not been reported to date. Real-world evidence regarding the effectiveness of pembrolizumab-based chemotherapy in patients with mTNBC and CNS metastases remains limited. Methods: The CEBCC-101 real-world retrospective study evaluated the effectiveness of first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in patients with PD-L1–positive mTNBC across 20 oncology centers in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Among 178 treated women, 14 (7.7%) had brain metastases at treatment initiation, all of which were stable following prior local therapy. Median overall survival (mOS) and progression-free survival (mPFS) were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method with follow-up summarized descriptively. Results: The median age at initiation of systemic treatment was 52.5 years (IQR 44–67). Up to four metastatic lesions were identified in nine patients (64.3%), while the remaining patients (n = 5, 35.7%) presented with a higher intracranial tumor burden. The median diameter of the largest intracranial metastatic lesion was 20 mm (n = 11; IQR 13-28; range 5-36). All patients received radiotherapy as part of local treatment for brain metastases. Radiotherapy alone was administered in 10 patients (71.4%), while surgery followed by radiotherapy was performed in the remaining four cases (28.6%). Median follow-up was 10.2 months (Q1-Q3, 8.34-14.81; range 0.66–20.8). A total of 10 OS events and 13 PFS events were observed. The median OS was 10.4 months; OS rates at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 months were 85.7%, 78.6%, 64.3%, 49%, 39.2% and 13.1%, respectively. The median PFS was 6.7 months; PFS rates at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months were 78.6%, 57.1%, 35.7%, and 7.1%, respectively. Conclusions: Patients with CNS metastases are more frequently encountered in real-world clinical practice than in clinical trial populations. In this multicenter real-world cohort of mTNBC with CNS metastases treated with first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy, mOS and mPFS were markedly shorter than those reported for the overall population in the KEYNOTE-355 trial. These findings underscore the persistent unmet clinical need in mTNBC with CNS involvement and support further prospective evaluation and optimization of multimodal treatment strategies in this population.

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Journal
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Published
2026-05-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.e13120
Primary Topic
Brain Metastases and Treatment
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article
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article

Real-world outcomes of first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer with central nervous system metastases: A multicenter cohort from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

K Swiderska, Joanna Kiszka, Zuzana Bielčiková, Miloš Holánek et al.
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Brain Metastases and Treatment
article

Real-world outcomes of first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer with central nervous system metastases: A multicenter cohort from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

K Swiderska, Joanna Kiszka, Zuzana Bielčiková, Miloš Holánek, Małgorzata Pieniążek, Bartosz Gąsior, Lenka Rušinová, Aleksandra Konieczna, Renata Pacholczak-Madej, Miroslawa Puskulluoglu, Maja Lisik-Habib, Michal Jarzab
article en

Abstract

e13120 Background: Patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) and central nervous system (CNS) metastases have an exceptionally poor prognosis and very short survival. In the KEYNOTE-355 trial, pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy demonstrated a survival benefit in patients with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) positive (combined positive score [CPS]≥10) mTNBC. Although patients with previously treated and stable CNS metastases were eligible (3% of the intention-to-treat population), efficacy outcomes for this subgroup have not been reported to date. Real-world evidence regarding the effectiveness of pembrolizumab-based chemotherapy in patients with mTNBC and CNS metastases remains limited. Methods: The CEBCC-101 real-world retrospective study evaluated the effectiveness of first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in patients with PD-L1–positive mTNBC across 20 oncology centers in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Among 178 treated women, 14 (7.7%) had brain metastases at treatment initiation, all of which were stable following prior local therapy. Median overall survival (mOS) and progression-free survival (mPFS) were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method with follow-up summarized descriptively. Results: The median age at initiation of systemic treatment was 52.5 years (IQR 44–67). Up to four metastatic lesions were identified in nine patients (64.3%), while the remaining patients (n = 5, 35.7%) presented with a higher intracranial tumor burden. The median diameter of the largest intracranial metastatic lesion was 20 mm (n = 11; IQR 13-28; range 5-36). All patients received radiotherapy as part of local treatment for brain metastases. Radiotherapy alone was administered in 10 patients (71.4%), while surgery followed by radiotherapy was performed in the remaining four cases (28.6%). Median follow-up was 10.2 months (Q1-Q3, 8.34-14.81; range 0.66–20.8). A total of 10 OS events and 13 PFS events were observed. The median OS was 10.4 months; OS rates at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 months were 85.7%, 78.6%, 64.3%, 49%, 39.2% and 13.1%, respectively. The median PFS was 6.7 months; PFS rates at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months were 78.6%, 57.1%, 35.7%, and 7.1%, respectively. Conclusions: Patients with CNS metastases are more frequently encountered in real-world clinical practice than in clinical trial populations. In this multicenter real-world cohort of mTNBC with CNS metastases treated with first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy, mOS and mPFS were markedly shorter than those reported for the overall population in the KEYNOTE-355 trial. These findings underscore the persistent unmet clinical need in mTNBC with CNS involvement and support further prospective evaluation and optimization of multimodal treatment strategies in this population.

Journal of Clinical OncologyVol. 44(16_suppl)
West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin (PL), Charles University (CZ), Wroclaw Medical University (PL), Zachodniopomorska Szkoła Biznesu w Szczecinie (PL), Copernicus Memorial Hospital (PL), Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute (CZ), The Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology (PL), General University Hospital in Prague (CZ), Štefan Kukura Hospital in Michalovce (SK), Pomeranian Medical University (PL)
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Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Brain Metastases and Treatment
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