Association between hormone receptors and response to neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy in breast cancer patients / 北京大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the associations between the hormone receptors,Ki67 expression and response to neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.Methods:One hundred sixty-eight primary breast cancer patients received anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy.The expression of estrogen receptor(ER),progesterone receptor(PR),and Ki67 were determined by immunohistochemistry assay in core-needle biopsy specimens prior to the chemotherapy,and pathologic response was assessed by Miller & Payne grade(G1 to G5).Results:40%(67/168)of the patients had a good pathologic response,defined as complete pathologic response(pCR or G5)and minimal residual disease(G4).Among the patients,20%(33/168)had a complete pathologic response(G5).ER or PR status was significantly associated with pathological response.Patients with PR-negative tumors had a higher pathological response rate or pCR than those with PR-positive tumors(17/67 vs 45/90,P=0.002;6/67 vs 25/90,P=0.003,respectively),whereas patients with ER-negative tumors had a higher pathological response rate than those with ER-positive tumors.Moreover,Patients with both ER-and PR-negative tumors exhibited a remarkable pathological response as compared with those with any single factor(36/17 vs 26/86,P=0.009).No association between Ki67 expression and pathological was found in this cohort of patients.There was a linear correlation between the expression of Ki-67,ER or PR status and pathologic response.Conclusion:There is a significant association between the hormone receptors and pathological response to neoadjvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy in breast cancer patients,and patients with PR-negative tumors are more likely to respond to chemotherapy.