# The impacts of androgen receptor on treatment response and survival in triple-negative breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a single-center retrospective study

## TL;DR

This study examines how androgen receptor expression affects treatment response and survival in triple-negative breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

## Contribution

The study identifies AR as a potential biomarker for predicting axillary response in TNBC.

## Key findings

- AR negativity is linked to increased proliferative activity and complete axillary response.
- AR positivity is associated with residual nodal disease after chemotherapy.
- AR expression does not significantly affect disease-free or overall survival.

## Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype characterized by the absence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2 expression, resulting in limited treatment options. The present study explored the association between androgen receptor (AR) expression and clinicopathological features, as well as its impact on response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and its prognostic and predictive value in patients with TNBC.

In this single-center, retrospective study, we considered the data from 81 TNBC patients undergoing post-NACT surgery between January 1, 2017, and January 1, 2023, at the Ankara Oncology Health Application and Research Center of Health Sciences University (SUAM). Patients were grouped by their AR expression status and compared by clinicopathological features, treatment responses, and survival outcomes.

We detected AR positivity in 20 patients (26%) but found no significant association between AR expression and patients’ demographics. Yet, AR positivity was significantly associated with post-NACT axillary lymph node metastasis (p = 0.017), and the complete axillary response was significantly more prevalent in AR-negative patients (p = 0.002). Pre- and post-NACT Ki-67 values were significantly higher in the AR-negative group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.024, respectively). The findings showed no significant impact of AR status on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.132 and p = 0.079, respectively).

Overall, we concluded that AR negativity was linked to increased proliferative activity and complete axillary response in TNBC patients. AR positivity, on the other hand, was associated with residual nodal disease. Ultimately, we could show no significant influence of AR expression on survival. Our findings suggest that AR may serve as a potential biomarker for predicting axillary response in TNBC.