Androgen receptor expression and immune characteristics of HER2-low metastatic triple-negative breast cancer

npj Breast Cancer 2026 Open access

Read full text
Authors: Paolo Tarantino, Jaeyoon Cha, Busem Binboğa Kurt, Xiangying Chu, Bojana Jovanović, Xiao‐Hua Zhou, Melissa E. Hughes, Douglas Russo, Molly K. DiLullo, Eileen Wrabel, Rinath M. Jeselsohn, Nancy U. Lin
+8 more Jamie Carter, Yisang Serenity Chen, Tianyu Li, Nabihah Tayob, Elizabeth A. Mittendorf, Stuart J. Schnitt, Shom Goel, Sara M. Tolaney
DOI: 10.1038/s41523-026-00913-4
Cited by: 1
References: 20

Abstract

HER2-low expression is associated with hormone receptor (HR) expression in HR-positive breast cancer. We aimed to evaluate its association with androgen receptor (AR) among 196 patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). Central determination of AR showed significant enrichment in HER2-low compared with HER2-0 mTNBC (mean: 33.7% vs. 21.4%, p = 0.038), whereas no significant immunological differences were observed. HER2-low/AR-positive patients trended towards longer overall survival, highlighting the potential relevance of these biomarkers.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Breast Cancer Treatment Studies Advanced Breast Cancer Therapies Estrogen and related hormone effects

Publication details

Journal / source
npj Breast Cancer
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
12
Issue
1
Publication date
13 February 2026
Language
EN