Xu Chang, Zeng Cheng, Zhu Qi, Wang Yue
Department of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 24;15(1):31108. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-17083-1.
Our study aimed to evaluate the survival impact of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) following breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in elderly male patients with early-stage, low-risk breast cancer (node-negative, HR+), and to identify RT-benefiting subgroups using machine learning and causal inference approaches. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2000-2021), including 360 patients after propensity score matching (PSM). Patients were grouped by RT and non-RT (NRT) status, and a 1:3 nearest neighbor PSM was applied. Overall survival (OS), relative survival (RS), standardized mortality ratio (SMR), and transformed Cox regression were used to estimate RT benefit. Additionally, machine learning models, including random forest, support vector machines and causal forest model, were applied for survival prediction and validation. In early-stage, low-risk male breast cancer (MBC) patients treated with BCS, adjuvant RT did not demonstrate a significant survival advantage over NRT. After PSM, 15-year OS, RS, and SMR were 31.8%, 15.2%, and 2.14 for RT versus 34.1%, 21.5%, and 2.25 for NRT (p = 0.36, 0.68, and 0.81, respectively). The cumulative incidence of breast cancer-related death (BCRD) and non-BCRD also showed no statistically significant differences between groups (p = 0.06 and 0.75). Machine learning models (Cox, GBM, and XGBoost) confirmed the limited contribution of RT to survival prediction, with the Cox model demonstrating the best discrimination (C-index = 0.713). While RT was associated with a lower risk of death within the first 10 years, its benefit diminished over time. Causal forest analysis revealed notable heterogeneity in treatment effects across subgroups. Patients who were younger, diagnosed earlier, or had stage I disease showed relatively higher estimated benefit from RT, while older patients or those with more recent diagnoses demonstrated attenuated benefit. In elderly, low-risk MBC patients treated with BCS, adjuvant RT was not associated with improved long-term survival. While our findings suggest that RT may be safely omitted in selected individuals, this decision should be made cautiously in the absence of recurrence data. Model-based analyses underscore the importance of tailoring treatment to patient-specific risk profiles. Prospective studies dedicated to MBC are needed to support individualized de-escalation strategies.
我们的研究旨在评估保乳手术(BCS)后辅助放疗(RT)对老年男性早期低风险乳腺癌(淋巴结阴性、激素受体阳性)患者生存的影响,并使用机器学习和因果推断方法确定从放疗中获益的亚组。我们使用监测、流行病学和最终结果(SEER)数据库(2000 - 2021年)进行了一项回顾性队列研究,包括360例倾向评分匹配(PSM)后的患者。患者按放疗和非放疗(NRT)状态分组,并应用1:3最近邻PSM。总生存(OS)、相对生存(RS)、标准化死亡比(SMR)和变换后的Cox回归用于估计放疗的获益。此外,机器学习模型,包括随机森林、支持向量机和因果森林模型,用于生存预测和验证。在接受BCS治疗的早期低风险男性乳腺癌(MBC)患者中,辅助放疗与NRT相比未显示出显著的生存优势。PSM后,放疗组的15年OS、RS和SMR分别为31.8%、15.2%和2.14,而NRT组分别为34.1%、21.5%和2.25(p分别为0.36、0.68和0.81)。乳腺癌相关死亡(BCRD)和非BCRD的累积发生率在两组之间也无统计学显著差异(p分别为0.06和0.75)。机器学习模型(Cox、GBM和XGBoost)证实放疗对生存预测的贡献有限,其中Cox模型显示出最佳的区分度(C指数 = 0.713)。虽然放疗与前10年内较低的死亡风险相关,但其益处会随时间减弱。因果森林分析揭示了各亚组治疗效果存在显著异质性。年龄较小、诊断较早或处于I期疾病的患者从放疗中获得的估计益处相对较高,而老年患者或诊断较晚的患者益处减弱。在接受BCS治疗的老年低风险MBC患者中,辅助放疗与长期生存改善无关。虽然我们的研究结果表明在某些个体中可以安全地省略放疗,但在缺乏复发数据的情况下应谨慎做出这一决定。基于模型的分析强调了根据患者特定风险特征调整治疗的重要性。需要开展针对MBC的前瞻性研究以支持个体化的降阶梯策略。