Prognostic Significance of the CPS-EG Score in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Background/Objectives: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype characterized by substantial biological heterogeneity and variable clinical outcomes. Reliable prognostic tools are needed to improve risk stratification following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). This study aimed to evaluate the association of the Clinical–Pathologic Stage, Estrogen/Grade (CPS-EG) score with pathological complete response (pCR) and survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced TNBC treated with NACT. Methods: In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, 690 patients with locally advanced TNBC treated with NACT between 2010 and 2024 at 25 oncology centers were included. Patients were categorized according to CPS-EG score (≤3 vs. >3). Associations between CPS-EG score, clinicopathological characteristics, pCR, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. Survival outcomes were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses. Results: Patients with a CPS-EG score > 3 had significantly lower pCR rates and higher recurrence rates compared with those with a CPS-EG score ≤ 3 (p < 0.001 for both). Five-year OS rates were 83.7% and 54.1% in the CPS-EG ≤ 3 and > 3 groups, respectively, while the corresponding five-year DFS rates were 76.4% and 51.9% (p < 0.001 for both). In the multivariable analysis, CPS-EG > 3 remained independently associated with worse OS (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.08–1.98, p = 0.015) and DFS (HR 1.73, 95% CI 1.26–2.38, p < 0.001). Conclusions: A higher CPS-EG score is associated with a lower likelihood of achieving pCR and poorer long-term survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced TNBC treated with NACT. The CPS-EG score represents a simple and readily available tool that may support risk stratification and clinical decision-making in routine practice.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Cancers
Published
2026-07-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18142302
Primary Topic
Breast Cancer Treatment Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Prognostic Significance of the CPS-EG Score in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Merve Keskinkılıç, Zeynep Oruç, Semra Paydaş, Mesut Yılmaz et al.
Cancers
Breast Cancer Treatment Studies
article

Prognostic Significance of the CPS-EG Score in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Merve Keskinkılıç, Zeynep Oruç, Semra Paydaş, Mesut Yılmaz, Bilgin Demir, Ziya Kalkan, Kerem Okutur, Oğuzcan Kınıkoğlu, İlkay Gültürk, İlhan Hacıbekiroğlu, Elanur Karaman, Derya Kıvrak Salim, Serhat Sekmek, Senar Ebinç, Dilek Çağlayan, Tahir Yerlikaya, Mustafa Seyyar, Mehmet Türker, Alper Türkel, İsmail Beypınar, Ali AYTAÇ, Zehra Sucuoğlu İşleyen, Melek Karakurt Eryılmaz, Neslihan Özyurt, Ahmet Özveren, Gülhan Dinç, Sinem Akbaş, Esra Aşık, Ali Alkan, Bahattin Engin Kaya, E Aydın, Burcu Gülbağcı, Bengü Dursun, Pervin Can Sanci, Mustafa Şahbazlar, Özgür Tanrıverdi, Teoman Şakalar, Devrim Çabuk, Nilgün Yıldırım, Fatih Selçuk Biricik, Ömer Acar, Mutlu Doğan, Orhan Önder Eren
article en

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype characterized by substantial biological heterogeneity and variable clinical outcomes. Reliable prognostic tools are needed to improve risk stratification following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). This study aimed to evaluate the association of the Clinical–Pathologic Stage, Estrogen/Grade (CPS-EG) score with pathological complete response (pCR) and survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced TNBC treated with NACT. Methods: In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, 690 patients with locally advanced TNBC treated with NACT between 2010 and 2024 at 25 oncology centers were included. Patients were categorized according to CPS-EG score (≤3 vs. >3). Associations between CPS-EG score, clinicopathological characteristics, pCR, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. Survival outcomes were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses. Results: Patients with a CPS-EG score > 3 had significantly lower pCR rates and higher recurrence rates compared with those with a CPS-EG score ≤ 3 (p < 0.001 for both). Five-year OS rates were 83.7% and 54.1% in the CPS-EG ≤ 3 and > 3 groups, respectively, while the corresponding five-year DFS rates were 76.4% and 51.9% (p < 0.001 for both). In the multivariable analysis, CPS-EG > 3 remained independently associated with worse OS (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.08–1.98, p = 0.015) and DFS (HR 1.73, 95% CI 1.26–2.38, p < 0.001). Conclusions: A higher CPS-EG score is associated with a lower likelihood of achieving pCR and poorer long-term survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced TNBC treated with NACT. The CPS-EG score represents a simple and readily available tool that may support risk stratification and clinical decision-making in routine practice.

CancersVol. 18(14)
Sakarya University (TR), Dicle University (TR), Ministry of Health (TR), Koç University (TR), Selçuk University (TR), Ankara University (TR), Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University (TR), Karadeniz Technical University (TR), Manisa Celal Bayar University (TR), Dokuz Eylül University (TR), Bezmiâlem Vakıf Üniversitesi (TR), Dr Lütfi Kırdar Kartal Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), Necmettin Erbakan University (TR), Ankara Onkoloji Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), Antalya Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), Alanya University (TR), Bakırköy Dr.Sadi Konuk Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), Education Training And Research (US), Kent Hastanesi (TR), Ankara Bilkent City Hospital (TR), Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University (TR), Istanbul Arel University (TR), Kocaeli Üniversitesi (TR), Cukurova University (TR), Ordu University (TR), Istanbul University (TR), Adnan Menderes University (TR), Muğla University (TR)
No poverty
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Breast Cancer Treatment Studies
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.