Journals / Acta Medica Alanya / 2026 / Cilt: 10 Sayı: 2

The Prognostic Significance of the NOLUS Score in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer Receiving CDK 4/6 Inhibitor Therapy

CDK 4/6 İnhibitörü ile Tedavi Edilen Metastatik Meme Kanseri Tanılı Hastalarda NOLUS Skorunun Prognostik Önemi

Ece Ulukal Karancı(SAĞLIK BİLİMLERİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ, ANTALYA SAĞLIK UYGULAMA VE ARAŞTIRMA MERKEZİ, DAHİLİ TIP BİLİMLERİ BÖLÜMÜ)0000-0002-0930-1016
Halil Göksel Güzel(Antalya Şehir Hastanesi)0000-0001-8310-1752
Mehmet Acun(SAĞLIK BİLİMLERİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ, ANTALYA SAĞLIK UYGULAMA VE ARAŞTIRMA MERKEZİ, DAHİLİ TIP BİLİMLERİ BÖLÜMÜ)0000-0003-1649-348X
Derya Kıvrak Salim(SAĞLIK BİLİMLERİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ, ANTALYA SAĞLIK UYGULAMA VE ARAŞTIRMA MERKEZİ)0000-0003-4107-3460
Banu Öztürk(SAĞLIK BİLİMLERİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ, ANTALYA SAĞLIK UYGULAMA VE ARAŞTIRMA MERKEZİ)0000-0003-0290-8787
Pages
118–127
Publication Date
2026-08-16
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Similarly, 48-month overall survival (OS) rates were comparable (50.4% vs. 59.1%; p=0.772).

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Aim: Breast cancer is the most common cancer, and in the metastatic hormone-positive group, CDK-4-6 inhibitors are used.
📊
Key Findings & Data:We aimed to examine the prognostic value of the “NOLUS” score, calculated from the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and Ki-67 index, in patients with breast cancer receiving CDK 4/6 inhibitors.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:Similarly, 48-month overall survival (OS) rates were comparable (50.4% vs. 59.1%; p=0.772).
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2018 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Metastatik meme kanseri · CDK 4/6 inhibitörleri · NOLUS skoru

Abstract

Aim: Breast cancer is the most common cancer, and in the metastatic hormone-positive group, CDK-4-6 inhibitors are used. We aimed to examine the prognostic value of the “NOLUS” score, calculated from the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and Ki-67 index, in patients with breast cancer receiving CDK 4/6 inhibitors. Materials and Methods: This retrospective single-center study included 76 patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer who were treated with CDK 4/6 inhibitors (ribociclib or palbociclib) and endocrine therapy between 2018 and 2024. The NOLUS score was calculated using the following formula: −0.45*ER% −0.28*PR% + 0.27*Ki67% + 73. A population-specific cutoff was determined via ROC analysis based on 2-year progression-free survival (PFS), classifying patients into “low-NOLUS” or “high-NOLUS” groups. Results: The median patient age was 58.2 years. Ribociclib and palbociclib were used in 78.9% and 21.1% of the patients, respectively. During a median follow-up of 38.4 months, no significant difference was observed in the median PFS between the low- and high-NOLUS groups (36.6 vs. 27.9 months; p=0.265). Similarly, 48-month overall survival (OS) rates were comparable (50.4% vs. 59.1%; p=0.772). Multivariate analysis revealed that palbociclib use was independently associated with a higher risk of progression than ribociclib use (HR, 2.12; p=0.026). ECOG performance status and Ki-67 index were identified as independent prognostic factors for OS. Conclusion: The NOLUS score was not a significant predictor of survival in patients with metastasis treated with CDK 4/6 inhibitors. However, this study provides real-world evidence regarding the differences in efficacy between CDK 4/6 inhibitors and highlights the prognostic value of ECOG status and Ki-67.

Özet

Amaç: Bu çalışmada, CDK 4/6 inhibitörü alan metastatik meme kanseri hastalarında; östrojen reseptörü (ER), progesteron reseptörü (PR) ve Ki-67 indeksinden hesaplanan "NOLUS" skorunun prognostik değerini incelemeyi amaçladık. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu retrospektif tek merkezli çalışmaya, 2018-2024 yılları arasında CDK 4/6 inhibitörü (ribosiklib veya palbosiklib) ve endokrin tedavi kombinasyonu ile tedavi edilen 76 HR+/HER2- metastatik meme kanseri hastası dahil edildi. NOLUS skoru, "−0.45ER% −0.28PR% + 0.27*Ki67% + 73" formülü kullanılarak hesaplandı. 2 yıllık progresyonsuz sağkalım (PSK) verileri baz alınarak yapılan ROC analizi ile popülasyona özgü bir kesim değeri (cut-off değeri) belirlendi ve hastalar "düşük-NOLUS" veya "yüksek-NOLUS" olarak sınıflandırıldı. Bulgular: Hastaların medyan yaşı 58,2 yıldı. Ribosiklib ve palbosiklib kullanım oranları sırasıyla %78,9 ve %21,1 idi. 38,4 aylık medyan takip süresince, düşük ve yüksek NOLUS grupları arasında medyan PFS açısından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark gözlenmedi (36,6 aya karşı 27,9 ay; p=0,265). Benzer şekilde, 48 aylık genel sağkalım (OS) oranları da gruplar arasında benzer bulundu (%50,4'e karşı %59,1; p=0,772). Çok değişkenli analizde, palbosiklib kullanımının ribosiklibe kıyasla daha yüksek progresyon riski ile bağımsız olarak ilişkili olduğu saptandı (HR: 2.12, p=0,026). ECOG performans durumu ve Ki-67 indeksi, OS için bağımsız prognostik faktörler olarak belirlendi. Sonuç: NOLUS skoru, CDK 4/6 inhibitörü ile tedavi edilen metastatik hastalarda sağkalımın anlamlı bir öngördürücüsü olarak saptanmamıştır. Bununla birlikte çalışma, CDK 4/6 inhibitörleri arasındaki etkinlik farklarına dair gerçek yaşam verileri sunmakta ve ECOG durumu ile Ki-67'nin prognostik değerini vurgulamaktadır.

🔖

Cite This Article

Karancı, E. U., Güzel, H. G., Arıcı, M. Ö., Acun, M., Salim, D. K., Öztürk, B. (2026). The Prognostic Significance of the NOLUS Score in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer Receiving CDK 4/6 Inhibitor Therapy. Acta Medica Alanya, Cilt: 10 Sayı: 2, 118–127. https://doi.org/10.30565/medalanya.1842660

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (23)

  1. Giaquinto AN, Sung H, Newman LA, Freedman RA, Smith RA, Star J et al. Breast cancer statistics, 2024. CA Cancer J Clin. 2024;74(6):477-95. doi: 10.3322/caac.21863.
  2. O'Leary B, Finn RS, Turner NC. Treating cancer with selective CDK4/6 inhibitors. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2016;13(7):417-30. doi: 10.1038/nrclinonc.2016.26.
  3. Finn RS, Martin M, Rugo HS, Jones S, Im SA, Gelmon K et al. Palbociclib and Letrozole in Advanced Breast Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(20):1925-36. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1607303.
  4. Hortobagyi GN, Stemmer SM, Burris HA, Yap YS, Sonke GS, Paluch-Shimon S et al. Ribociclib as First-Line Therapy for HR-Positive, Advanced Breast Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(18):1738-48. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1609709.
  5. Goetz MP, Toi M, Campone M, Sohn J, Paluch-Shimon S, Huober J et al. MONARCH 3: Abemaciclib As Initial Therapy for Advanced Breast Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2017;35(32):3638-46. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2017.75.6155.
  6. Johnston SRD, Harbeck N, Hegg R, Toi M, Martin M, Shao ZM et al. Abemaciclib Combined With Endocrine Therapy for the Adjuvant Treatment of HR+, HER2-, Node-Positive, High-Risk, Early Breast Cancer (monarchE). J Clin Oncol. 2020;38(34):3987-98. doi:10.1200/JCO.20.02514.
  7. Hortobagyi GN, Stemmer SM, Burris HA, Yap YS, Sonke GS, Hart L et al. Overall Survival with Ribociclib plus Letrozole in Advanced Breast Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2022;386(10):942-50. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2114663.
  8. Pandey K, An HJ, Kim SK, Lee SA, Kim S, Lim SM et al. Molecular mechanisms of resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors in breast cancer: A review. Int J Cancer. 2019;145(5):1179-88. doi: 10.1002/ijc.32020
  9. Prat A, Pineda E, Adamo B, Galván P, Fernández A, Gaba L et al. Clinical implications of the intrinsic molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Breast. 2015;24 Suppl 2:S26-35. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2015.07.008
  10. Pascual T, Martin M, Fernández-Martínez A, Paré L, Alba E, Rodríguez-Lescure Á et al. A Pathology-Based Combined Model to Identify PAM50 Non-luminal Intrinsic Disease in Hormone Receptor-Positive HER2-Negative Breast Cancer. Front Oncol. 2019;9:303. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00303
  11. O'Leary B, Cutts RJ, Liu Y, Hrebien S, Huang X, Fenwick K et al. The Genetic Landscape and Clonal Evolution of Breast Cancer Resistance to Palbociclib plus Fulvestrant in the PALOMA-3 Trial. Cancer Discov. 2018;8(11):1390-403. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-18-0264
  12. Prat A, Brase JC, Cheng Y, Nuciforo P, Paré L, Pascual T et al. Everolimus plus Exemestane for Hormone Receptor-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer: A PAM50 Intrinsic Subtype Analysis of BOLERO-2. Oncologist. 2019;24(7):893-900. doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2018-0407
  13. Zhong B, Zhang J, Wu J, Sun L, Li S, Zeng X et al. Efficacy and safety of palbociclib plus endocrine therapy for patients with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer in real-world clinical practice. Ann Transl Med. 2022;10(6):362. doi: 10.21037/atm-22-1002
  14. Fernández-Cuerva C, Valencia JCDR, Bermejo RT. Effectiveness and Safety of Palbociclib plus Endocrine Therapy in Hormone Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: Real-World Results. Can J Hosp Pharm. 2022;75(1):26-33. doi: 10.4212/cjhp.v75i1.3252
  15. Wander SA, Cohen O, Gong X, Johnson GN, Buendia-Buendia JE, Lloyd MR et al. The Genomic Landscape of Intrinsic and Acquired Resistance to Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6 Inhibitors in Patients with Hormone Receptor-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer. Cancer Discov. 2020;10(8):1174-93. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-19-1390
  16. Amylidi AL, Kontovinis L, Douganiotis G, Natsiopoulos I, Papazisis K. The Role of the NOLUS Score in Predicting pCR and iDFS in HR-positive HER2-negative Early Breast Cancer Patients who Received Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy. Cancer Diagn Progn. 2024;4(6):775-82. Published 2024 Nov 3. doi: 10.21873/cdp.10395
  17. Slamon DJ, Neven P, Chia S, Fasching PA, De Laurentiis M, Im SA et al. Overall Survival with Ribociclib plus Fulvestrant in Advanced Breast Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(6):514-24. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1911149
  18. Slamon DJ, Diéras V, Rugo HS, Harbeck N, Im SA, Gelmon KA et al. Overall Survival With Palbociclib Plus Letrozole in Advanced Breast Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2024;42(9):994-1000. doi: 10.1200/JCO.23.00137
  19. Rugo HS, Layman RM, Lynce F, Liu X, Li B, McRoy L et al. Comparative overall survival of CDK4/6 inhibitors plus an aromatase inhibitor in HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer in the US real-world setting. ESMO Open. 2025;10(1):104103. doi: 10.1016/j.esmoop.2024.104103
  20. Avci T, Sahbazlar M, Ekinci F, Erdogan AP. Real-Life Efficacy of Palbociclib and Ribociclib in Advanced Breast Cancer. Curr Oncol. 2025;32(3):161. Published 2025 Mar 12. doi: 10.3390/curroncol32030161
  21. Yildirim HC, Kapar C, Koksal B, Seyyar M, Sanci PC, Guliyev M et al. Efficacy of first-line CDK 4-6 inhibitors in premenopausal patients with metastatic breast cancer and the effect of dose reduction due to treatment-related neutropenia on efficacy: a Turkish Oncology Group (TOG) study. J Chemother. 2025;37(1):69-75. doi: 10.1080/1120009X.2024.2330835
  22. Demir A, Mandel NM, Paydas S, Demir G, Er Ö, Turhal NS et al. Efficacy of Palbociclib and Endocrine Treatment in Heavily Pretreated Hormone Receptor-positive/HER2-negative Advanced Breast Cancer: Retrospective Multicenter Trial. Balkan Med J. 2020;37(2):104-7. doi: 10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2020.2019.11.143
  23. Beypınar İ, Demir H, Yaslıkaya Ş, Köşeci T, Demir B, Çolak G et al. Efficacy of everolimus plus hormonal treatment after cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor; real-life experience, A TOG study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2024;208(3):597-604. doi: 10.1007/s10549-024-07456-x