Impact of pre-neoadjuvant radioactive iodine seed marking on pathologic complete response and survival in early-stage breast cancer patients

Impact of ¹²⁵I seed marking on neoadjuvant therapeutic efficacy and postoperative disease recurrence. (A) Schematic of key procedural details for ¹²⁵I seed implantation. (B) The key parameters of ¹²⁵I seed marking. (C) Intergroup differences in pCR rates among the overall population. (D) Intergroup differences in pCR rates among the HR+/HER2−subgroup. (E) Intergroup differences in pCR rates among the HER2+ subgroup. (F) Intergroup differences in pCR rates among the TNBC subgroup. (G) The impact of ¹²⁵I seed marking on the 3-year iDFS in the overall population. (H) Kaplan–Meier curves of 3-year iDFS stratified by ¹²⁵I seed marking and pCR status. Group A = without ¹²⁵I seed-marked group. Group B = ¹²⁵I seed-marked group. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001; NS, no statistically significant difference. pCR, pathological complete response; HR+, hormone receptor positive; HER2-, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative; HER2+, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive; TNBC, triple-negative breast cancer; iDFS, invasive disease-free survival.