21-gene recurrence score assay predicts benefit of post-mastectomy radiotherapy in T1-2 N1 breast cancer

Purpose: Post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) yields improvements in both locoregional control and overall survival (OS) for women with T1-2 N1 breast cancer. The value of PMRT in this population has been questioned given advances in systemic therapy. The 21-gene recurrence score (RS) assay was evaluated as a predictor of OS among women with T1-2 N1 breast cancer who received or did not receive PMRT. Experimental Design: An observational cohort study was performed on women with T1-2 N1 estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) and, as a validation cohort, from the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) registry who underwent mastectomy and were evaluated for RS. Multivariable parametric accelerated failure time models were used to estimate associations of RS and PMRT with OS using propensity score-adjusted matched cohorts. Results: In both the NCDB (N ¼ 7,332) and SEER (N ¼ 3,087) cohorts, there was a significant interaction of RS and PMRT with OS (P ¼ 0.009 and P ¼ 0.03, respectively). PMRT was associated with longer OS in women with a low RS [NCDB: time ratio (TR) ¼ 1.70; 95% CI (confidence interval), 1.30–2.22; P < 0.001; SEER: TR ¼ 1.85; 95% CI, 1.33–2.57; P < 0.001], but not in women with an intermediate RS (NCDB: TR ¼ 0.89; 95% CI, 0.69–1.14; P ¼ 0.35; SEER: TR ¼ 0.84; 95% CI, 0.62–1.14; P ¼ 0.26), or a high RS (NCDB: TR ¼ 1.10; 95% CI, 0.91–1.34; P ¼ 0.33; SEER: TR ¼ 0.79; 95% CI, 0.50–1.23; P ¼ 0.28). Conclusions: Longer survival associated with PMRT was limited to women with a low RS. PMRT may confer the greatest OS benefit for patients at the lowest risk of distant recurrence. These results caution against omission of PMRT among women with low RS.