Research Article

Prognostic factors affecting survival in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant therapy

Volume: 19 Number: 4 October 10, 2026
EN TR

Prognostic factors affecting survival in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant therapy

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: This study aimed to identify the prognostic and predictive factors affecting survival in patients with early-stage human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancer who received adjuvant treatment. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 124 female patients diagnosed with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer at Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine between January 2014 and December 2019. Clinicopathological characteristics, treatment regimens, and laboratory findings were analyzed. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and factors influencing survival were evaluated using Cox regression analysis. Results: The mean follow-up duration were 63.9 months. The mean overall survival and progression-free survival were 65.1 and 58.8 months, respectively. Lymph node involvement greater than three, elevated Cancer Antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) (>25 U/mL), and high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels (>214 U/L) were significantly associated with shorter progression-free survival (p<0.05). High CA15-3 levels were also correlated with decreased overall survival (p<0.05). Other parameters, including age, tumour size, Ki67 index, histologic and nuclear grade, lymphovascular invasion, chemotherapy regimen, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), were not significantly related to survival outcomes. Conclusion: CA15-3 and LDH levels, along with the number of involved lymph nodes, were identified as potential prognostic indicators of early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer. These biomarkers may help guide clinical decision-making and patient follow-up. Further large-scale studies are required to validate these findings

Keywords

Supporting Institution

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The authors declare that they received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee (approval date: January 7, 2020; approval number: 01). The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. All data were evaluated retrospectively, and patient confidentiality was maintained.

References

  1. Ferlay, J., Colombet, M., Soerjomataram, I., Mathers, C., Parkin, D. M., Piñeros, M., Znaor, A., & Bray, F. (2019). Estimating the global cancer incidence and mortality in 2018: GLOBOCAN sources and methods. International journal of cancer, 144(8), 1941–1953. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.31937
  2. Bernstein L. (2002). Epidemiology of endocrine-related risk factors for breast cancer. Journal of mammary gland biology and neoplasia, 7(1), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1015714305420
  3. Vidal, M., Paré, L., & Prat, A. (2016). Molecular Classification of Breast Cancer. In: Jatoi, I., Rody, A. (eds) Management of Breast Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46356-8_12
  4. Perou, C. M., Sørlie, T., Eisen, M. B., van de Rijn, M., Jeffrey, S. S., Rees, C. A., Pollack, J. R., Ross, D. T., Johnsen, H., Akslen, L. A., Fluge, O., Pergamenschikov, A., Williams, C., Zhu, S. X., Lønning, P. E., Børresen-Dale, A. L., Brown, P. O., & Botstein, D. (2000). Molecular portraits of human breast tumours. Nature, 406(6797), 747–752. https://doi.org/10.1038/35021093
  5. Ahn, S., Woo, J. W., Lee, K., & Park, S. Y. (2020). HER2 status in breast cancer: changes in guidelines and complicating factors for interpretation. Journal of pathology and translational medicine, 54(1), 34–44. https://doi.org/10.4132/jptm.2019.11.03
  6. Slamon, D. J., Clark, G. M., Wong, S. G., Levin, W. J., Ullrich, A., & McGuire, W. L. (1987). Human breast cancer: correlation of relapse and survival with amplification of the HER-2/neu oncogene. Science (New York, N.Y.), 235(4785), 177–182. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.3798106
  7. Güllüoğlu, B. M. (2008). Approach to common breast diseases: risk evaluation and screening strategies for breast cancer. Turkish Journal of Family Practice, 12(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.2399/tahd.08.009
  8. Siegel, R. L., Miller, K. D., & Jemal, A. (2020). Cancer statistics, 2020. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 70(1), 7–30. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21590

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

​Internal Diseases

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

October 10, 2026

Submission Date

October 27, 2025

Acceptance Date

December 2, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 19 Number: 4

APA
Baklacı, A., Gokoz Dogu, G., Yaren, A., Değirmencioğlu, S., Demiray, A. G., Yapar Taşköylü, B., & Çelikyürek, N. A. (2026). Prognostic factors affecting survival in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant therapy. Pamukkale Medical Journal, 19(4), 745-758. https://doi.org/10.31362/patd.1809796
AMA
1.Baklacı A, Gokoz Dogu G, Yaren A, et al. Prognostic factors affecting survival in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant therapy. Pam Med J. 2026;19(4):745-758. doi:10.31362/patd.1809796
Chicago
Baklacı, Ahmet, Gamze Gokoz Dogu, Arzu Yaren, et al. 2026. “Prognostic Factors Affecting Survival in Early-Stage HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Treated With Adjuvant Therapy”. Pamukkale Medical Journal 19 (4): 745-58. https://doi.org/10.31362/patd.1809796.
EndNote
Baklacı A, Gokoz Dogu G, Yaren A, Değirmencioğlu S, Demiray AG, Yapar Taşköylü B, Çelikyürek NA (October 1, 2026) Prognostic factors affecting survival in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant therapy. Pamukkale Medical Journal 19 4 745–758.
IEEE
[1]A. Baklacı et al., “Prognostic factors affecting survival in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant therapy”, Pam Med J, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 745–758, Oct. 2026, doi: 10.31362/patd.1809796.
ISNAD
Baklacı, Ahmet - Gokoz Dogu, Gamze - Yaren, Arzu - Değirmencioğlu, Serkan - Demiray, Atike Gökçen - Yapar Taşköylü, Burcu - Çelikyürek, Nevzat Atalay. “Prognostic Factors Affecting Survival in Early-Stage HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Treated With Adjuvant Therapy”. Pamukkale Medical Journal 19/4 (October 1, 2026): 745-758. https://doi.org/10.31362/patd.1809796.
JAMA
1.Baklacı A, Gokoz Dogu G, Yaren A, Değirmencioğlu S, Demiray AG, Yapar Taşköylü B, Çelikyürek NA. Prognostic factors affecting survival in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant therapy. Pam Med J. 2026;19:745–758.
MLA
Baklacı, Ahmet, et al. “Prognostic Factors Affecting Survival in Early-Stage HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Treated With Adjuvant Therapy”. Pamukkale Medical Journal, vol. 19, no. 4, Oct. 2026, pp. 745-58, doi:10.31362/patd.1809796.
Vancouver
1.Ahmet Baklacı, Gamze Gokoz Dogu, Arzu Yaren, Serkan Değirmencioğlu, Atike Gökçen Demiray, Burcu Yapar Taşköylü, Nevzat Atalay Çelikyürek. Prognostic factors affecting survival in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant therapy. Pam Med J. 2026 Oct. 1;19(4):745-58. doi:10.31362/patd.1809796

Creative Commons Lisansı

Pamukkale Medical Journal is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY NC).