Trends in Use of Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy in Patients with Clinically Node-Positive Breast Cancer in Europe: Prospective TAXIS Study (OPBC-03, SAKK 23/16, IBCSG 57-18, ABCSG-53, GBG 101)

The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical practice heterogeneity in use of neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) for patients with clinically node-positive breast cancer in Europe. The study was preplanned in the international multicenter phase-III OPBC-03/TAXIS trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03513614) to include the first 500 randomized patients with confirmed nodal disease at the time of surgery. The TAXIS study’s pragmatic design allowed both the neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting according to the preferences of the local investigators who were encouraged to register eligible patients consecutively. A total of 500 patients were included at 44 breast centers in six European countries from August 2018 to June 2022, 165 (33