Prediction of Oncotype DX Recurrence Score by Evaluating the Peritumoral Tumor Budding in Early-stage Breast Carcinoma.

Abstract

The Oncotype DX Recurrence Score (ORS) predicts the likelihood of recurrence and the benefit of chemotherapy in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative early-stage breast carcinoma (ESBC). Tumor budding (TB) is a poor prognostic factor in breast carcinoma. This study aimed to determine the clinicopathological significance of TB in predicting ORS in patients with ESBC. We included 359 patients with ER-positive, HER2-negative ESBC. The number of peritumoral TB was assessed, and the cases were categorized into TB-low (<10 buds) and TB-high (≥10 buds) groups. Patients with TB-high ESBC (170/359; 47.4%) showed a significantly higher median ORS (15.0 vs. 13.0) than those with TB-low tumors (189/359; 52.6%). Multivariate analysis revealed that high TB level was an independent predictive factor for higher ORS in patients with ESBC. High TB in ESBC independently predicted higher ORS. TB may serve as a surrogate marker for predicting ORS in patients with ESBC.