UTSW study identifies factors affecting survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer
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DALLAS – Oct. 22, 2025 – Researchers have identified factors associated with survival for patients initially diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer who were seen at UT Southwestern Medical Center and its affiliated sites. Their findings, published in Communications Medicine, list certain demographic and clinical characteristics to consider among the regional population when formulating treatment plans for individual patients.
“Understanding local risk factors and regional practice patterns can guide more nuanced multidisciplinary care, helping clinicians identify patients at risk for worse outcomes and provide more personalized management,” said Isaac Chan, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology and a member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern.
Researchers elsewhere have built national datasets that include information from thousands of patients to search for insights into metastatic breast cancer to better understand which individuals are at risk for poor outcomes. However, Dr. Chan explained, such large numbers can obscure findings that may be specific to local populations.
To overcome this issue, he and his colleagues developed the Dallas Metastatic Cancer Study, a database that has tracked patients with metastatic disease treated at UT Southwestern and affiliated sites, including Parkland Health, since 2010. Pulling data for patients who were first diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer between 2010 and 2021, the researchers examined clinical and demographic features, searching for those that correlated with decreased length of survival.
Their findings showed that patients who were Black, had public insurance or no health insurance, had underlying metabolic diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes, or had cancer that metastasized to specific organs, including the brain, liver, or lungs, tended to die earlier than those without these factors.
Why these variables are associated with reduced survival will be the focus of future research, Dr. Chan said. In the meantime, he added, doctors may be able to improve survival by keeping a closer eye on patients with these risk factors.
Dr. Chan, who is also Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, co-led the study with former trainees Hannah Chang, M.D., a member of the Chan Lab who is now an Assistant Professor of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research at City of Hope, and Meng Cao, M.D., medical resident. This is the first published study of the Chan Lab’s Metastasis Research Program.
Other UTSW researchers who contributed to this study are Mir Lim, M.D., Ariana Weiss, M.D., Danielle Martinez, M.D., Giselle Uwera, M.D., Jonathan Ladner, M.D., Priscilla Okanlawon, M.D., Ruchita Iyer, M.D., and Luis Chinea, M.D., medical residents; Anna Moscowitz, M.D., and Sangeetha Reddy, M.D., Assistant Professors of Internal Medicine; Ang Gao, M.S., Biostatistical Consultant; Katherine Lei, B.A., medical student; Heather McArthur, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine and Clinical Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Simmons Cancer Center; and Sakshi Mohta, B.S., and Shao-Po Huang, B.S., graduate student researchers.
Drs. Reddy and McArthur are also members of Simmons Cancer Center.
This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (1K08CA270188-01A1), a METAvivor Early Career Investigator Award, a Susan G. Komen Career Catalyst Research Grant (1010879), a Mary Kay Ash Foundation Cancer Research Grant (11-23), a Robert J. & Claire Pasarow Foundation Award, and a National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant (P30CA142543).
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 24 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 25 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,200 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 140,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5.1 million outpatient visits a year.
About Parkland Health
Parkland Health is one of the largest public hospital systems in the country. Premier services at the state-of-the-art Parkland Memorial Hospital include the Level I Rees-Jones Trauma Center, the only burn center in North Texas verified by the American Burn Association for adult and pediatric patients, and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The system also includes two on-campus outpatient clinics – the Ron J. Anderson, MD Clinic and the Moody Outpatient Center, as well as more than 30 community-based clinics and numerous outreach and education programs. By cultivating its diversity, inclusion, and health equity efforts, Parkland enriches the health and wellness of the communities it serves. For more information, visit parklandhealth.org.