Matikas A, Kotsakis A, Perraki M, et al. - Seemingly, limited efficacy is conferred by late treatment lines for metastatic breast cancer (MBC), while response to first-line therapy is related to long-term survival. Considering the latter in the treatment strategy of patients with MBC is recommended.

• A retrospective analysis of 977 patients with MBC of whom 950 underwent any treatment.

• At first line treatment, the estimated objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and median overall survival (OS) were 43.5%, 11.4 months, and 52.4 months, respectively.

• With each subsequent treatment line, lower ORR and shorter PFS were noted.

• Patients with an objective response at first line experienced significantly longer median OS, 61.9 months for responders vs 41.3 months for non-responders.

• Poor survival was independently predicted by failure to achieve an objective response (hazard ratio 1.70), according to multivariable analysis.