High Expression of Class III β-Tubulin Predicts Good Response to Neoadjuvant Taxane and Doxorubicin/Cyclophosphamide-Based Chemotherapy in Estrogen Receptor–Negative Breast Cancer

BackgroundExpression of class ΙΙΙ β?tubulin (βΙΙΙ-tubulin) correlates with tumor progression and resistance to taxane-based therapies for several human malignancies including breast cancer. However its predictive value in a neoadjuvant setting in breast cancer remains unexplored. The objective of this explorative study was to determine whether βΙΙΙ-tubulin expression in breast cancer correlated with pathologic characteristics and whether its expression was predictive of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Patients and MethodsWe determined βΙΙΙ-tubulin expression in 85 breast cancers, including 41 localized breast cancers treated with primary surgery and 44 treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery. βΙΙΙ-tubulin expression was evaluated by immunohistochemical methods and was correlated with pathologic characteristics and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy using residual cancer burden (RCB) score.ResultsHigh βΙΙΙ-tubulin expression was significantly associated with poorly differentiated high-grade breast cancers (P = .003) but not with tumor size, estrogen receptor (ER) status, or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)/neu overexpression. In ER^– tumors treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, high βΙΙΙ-tubulin expression was associated with a significantly greater likelihood of achieving a good pathologic response to chemotherapy as reflected by lower RCB scores (P = .021).ConclusionThis study reveals differential βΙΙΙ-tubulin expression in breast cancers of different histologic grades, hormone receptors, and HER2/neu status. It also suggests a potential role for βΙΙΙ-tubulin as a predictive biomarker for response in neoadjuvant chemotherapy for ER^– breast cancer, which has not been previously reported. These data provide a strong rationale for considering βΙΙΙ-tubulin status and further validation of this marker in a large study.     

HER2阳性浸润性乳腺癌新辅助治疗反应的预测因子及治疗前后HER2状态变化的评估

背景与目的： 人表皮生长因子受体2（human epidermal growth factor receptor 2,HER2）阳性浸润性乳腺癌对抗于HER2新辅助治疗的反应显著,然而不同患者的反应并不一致,部分反应较差。本研究旨在探讨HER2阳性乳腺癌新辅助治疗反应的预测因子,并进一步评估新辅助治疗前后HER2状态的不一致性。方法： 收集深圳市人民医院2019—2021年经术前粗针穿刺活检确诊的110例HER2阳性乳腺癌患者,经新辅助治疗后行手术切除。采用免疫组织化学（immunohistochemistry,IHC）及荧光原位杂交（fluorescence in situ hybridization,FISH）检测术前穿刺标本中的HER2表达状态,并评估新辅助治疗后手术切除标本的病理学完全缓解（pathological complete response,pCR）状态及残余肿瘤负荷（residual cancer burden,RCB）分级,评价不同HER2状态对新辅助治疗效果的影响,并进一步比较新辅助治疗前后HER2、雌激素受体（estrogen receptor,ER）及孕激素受体（progesterone receptor,PR）状态的一致性。结果 ：110例乳腺癌患者根据HER2 IHC表达状态分为弥漫3+组（81例）、异质性3+组（20例）和2+且FISH基因扩增（2+FISH+）组（9例）。HER2弥漫3+组pCR率为54.3%,明显高于异质性3+组（5.0%）和2+FISH+组（11.1%）,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）,而异质性3+组和2+FISH+组的RCB分级更高。多因素分析显示,HER2弥漫3+是pCR的独立预测因子。7例（11.9%）HER2阳性乳腺癌患者在新辅助治疗后HER2转为阴性,大多数（85.7%）为异质性3+组和2+FISH+组病例。结论： HER2异质性会影响HER2阳性乳腺癌的新辅助治疗反应,评价穿刺活检标本中HER2 IHC异质性,并对新辅助治疗后残留癌灶HER2、ER和PR状态重新评估,有利于指导下一步治疗。新型抗体药物偶联物（antibody-drug conjugate,ADC）的出现有望为HER2异质性阳性乳腺癌患者带来生存获益。     

Mitotic counts in breast cancer after neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy and development of metastatic disease

Although pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy (NST) is associated with an excellent prognosis, the prognosis for patients with residual disease is variable. The mitotic count (MC) is commonly used in the evaluation of histologic tumor grade, but its prognostic value relative to other factors when determined after NST has not been studied. We evaluated MC in the residual tumor after NST in order to determine whether it provided prognostic information independent of other factors, including the residual cancer burden (RCB). We retrospectively reviewed pathologic specimens from 80 patients with localized breast cancer who received standard NST, of whom 61 had residual disease evaluable for MC analysis and RCB score. The exact number of mitotic figures was counted in 10 high power (40×) fields (hpf). We classified tumors as having high (≥13 per 10 hpf) and low (<13 per 10 hpf) MC because this threshold fell at the midpoint for an intermediate MC score in the Nottingham combined histologic grade. Distant metastases developed in 2 of 32 (6.3 %) patients with a low MC compared with 18 of 29 (62.1 %) with a high MC (log-rank test, p < 0.001). When adjusted for other covariates, including age, estrogen receptor, HER2/neu expressions, and RCB score, a high MC was associated with a significantly higher risk of developing distant metastases (hazard ratio 11.21, 95 % CI [2.19, 57.37]; p = 0.004). Our findings indicated that evaluation of MC after NST warrants validation and further evaluation as a prognostic marker in breast cancer.     

The triple negative paradox: primary tumor chemosensitivity of breast cancer subtypes.

PURPOSE: Gene expression analysis identifies several breast cancer subtypes. We examined the relationship of neoadjuvant chemotherapy response to outcome among these breast cancer subtypes. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We used immunohistochemical profiles [human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+)/hormone receptor-negative for HER2+/estrogen receptor-negative (ER-), hormone receptor and HER2- for basal-like, hormone receptor-positive for luminal] to subtype a prospectively maintained data set of patients with breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant anthracycline-based (doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide, AC) chemotherapy. We analyzed each subtype for clinical and pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and examined the relationship of response to distant disease-free survival and overall survival. RESULTS: Of the 107 patients tested, 34 (32%) were basal-like, 11 (10%) were HER2+/ER-, and 62 (58%) were luminal. After neoadjuvant AC, 75% received subsequent chemotherapy and all received endocrine therapy if hormone receptor-positive. The chemotherapy regimen and pretreatment stage did not differ by subtype. Clinical response to AC was higher among the HER2+/ER- (70%) and basal-like (85%) than the luminal subtypes (47%; P < 0.0001). Pathologic complete response occurred in 36% of HER2+/ER-, 27% of basal-like, and 7% of luminal subtypes (P = 0.01). Despite initial chemosensitivity, patients with the basal-like and HER2+/ER- subtypes had worse distant disease-free survival (P = 0.04) and overall survival (P = 0.02) than those with the luminal subtypes. Regardless of subtype, only 2 of 17 patients with pathologic complete response relapsed. The worse outcome among basal-like and HER+/ER- subtypes was due to higher relapse among those with residual disease (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Basal-like and HER2+/ER- subtypes are more sensitive to anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy than luminal breast cancers. Patients that had pathologic complete response to chemotherapy had a good prognosis regardless of subtype. The poorer prognosis of basal-like and HER2+/ER- breast cancers could be explained by a higher likelihood of relapse in those patients in whom pathologic complete response was not achieved.     

Hormone receptor status and pathologic response of HER2-positive breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the extent of pathologic response in patients with HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer treated with standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with or without trastuzumab (H), according to hormone receptor (HR) status.Patients and methods: We included 199 patients with HER2+ breast cancer from three successive cohorts of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy on the basis of paclitaxel (Taxol) (P) administered weekly (w) or three weekly (3-w), followed by 5-fluorouracil (F), doxorubicin (A) or epirubicin (E), and cyclophosphamide (C). Residual cancer burden (RCB) was determined from pathologic review of the primary tumor and lymph nodes and was classified as pathologic complete response (pCR) or minimal (RCB-I), moderate (RCB-II), or extensive (RCB-III) residual disease.Results: In HR-positive (HR+) cancers, a higher rate of pathologic response (pCR/RCB-I) was observed with concurrent H + 3-wP/FEC (73%) than with 3-wP/FEC (34%, P = 0.002) or wP/FAC (47%; P = 0.02) chemotherapy alone. In HR-negative (HR-) cancers, there were no significant differences in the rate of pathologic response (pCR/RCB-I) from 3-wP/FAC (50%), wP/FAC (68%), or concurrent H + 3-wP/FEC (72%).Conclusions: Patients with HR+/HER2+ breast cancer obtained significant benefit from addition of trastuzumab to P/FEC chemotherapy; pathologic response rate was similar to that seen in HR-/HER2+ breast cancers.     

Immune phenotype of tumor microenvironment predicts response to bevacizumab in neoadjuvant treatment of ER-positive breast cancer

Antiangiogenic drugs are potentially a useful supplement to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for a subgroup of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative breast cancer, but reliable biomarkers for improved response are lacking. Here, we report on a randomized phase II clinical trial to study the added effect of bevacizumab in neoadjuvant chemotherapy with FEC100 (5-fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide) and taxanes (n = 132 patients). Gene expression from the tumors was obtained before neoadjuvant treatment, and treatment response was evaluated by residual cancer burden (RCB) at time of surgery. Bevacizumab increased the proportion of complete responders (RCB class 0) from 5% to 20% among patients with estrogen receptor (ER) positive tumors (P = .02). Treatment with bevacizumab was associated with improved 8-year disease-free survival (P = .03) among the good responders (RCB class 0 or I). Patients treated with paclitaxel (n = 45) responded better than those treated with docetaxel (n = 21; P = .03). Improved treatment response was associated with higher proliferation rate and an immune phenotype characterized by high presence of classically activated M1 macrophages, activated NK cells and memory activated CD4 T cells. Treatment with bevacizumab increased the number of adverse events, including hemorrhage, hypertension, infection and febrile neutropenia, but despite this, the ECOG status was not affected.     

Conventional versus reverse sequence of neoadjuvant epirubicin/cyclophosphamide and docetaxel: sequencing results from ABCSG-34

Background Preoperative chemotherapy containing anthracyclines and taxanes is well established in early-stage breast cancer. Previous studies have suggested that the chemotherapy sequence may matter but definitive evidence is missing. ABCSG trial 34 evaluated the activity of the MUC1 vaccine tecemotide when added to neoadjuvant treatment; the study provided the opportunity for the second randomisation to compare two different anthracycline/taxane sequences.Methods HER2-negative early-stage breast cancer patients were recruited to this randomised multicentre Phase 2 study. Patients in the chemotherapy cohort (n = 311) were additionally randomised to a conventional or reversed sequence of epirubicin/cyclophosphamide and docetaxel. Residual cancer burden (RCB) with/without tecemotide was defined as primary study endpoint; RCB in the two chemotherapy groups was a key secondary endpoint.Results No significant differences in terms of RCB 0/I (40.1% vs. 37.2%; P = 0.61) or pathologic complete response (pCR) rates (24.3% vs. 25%, P = 0.89) were observed between conventional or reverse chemotherapy sequence. No new safety signals were reported, and upfront docetaxel did not result in decreased rates of treatment delay or discontinuation.Conclusion Upfront docetaxel did not improve chemotherapy activity or tolerability; these results suggest that upfront neoadjuvant treatment with anthracyclines remains a valid option.Subject terms: Breast cancer, Chemotherapy     

Relationship between IHC4 score and response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer

Aims

To determine whether IHC4 score assessed on pre-treatment core biopsies (i) predicts response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in ER-positive (ER+) breast cancer; (ii) provides more predictive information than Ki67 alone.

Methods

113 patients with ER+ primary breast cancer treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital between 2002 and 2010 were included in the study. Pathologic assessment of the excision specimen was made for residual disease. IHC4 was determined on pre-treatment core biopsies, blinded to clinical outcome, by immunohistochemistry using quantitative scoring of ER (H-score), PgR (%) and Ki67 (%). Determination of HER2 status was made by immunohistochemistry and fluorescent in situ hybridization for 2+ cases. IHC4 and Ki67 scores were tested for their association with pathological complete response (pCR) rate and residual cancer burden (RCB) score.

Results

18 (16%) of the 113 patients and 8 (9%) of the 88 HER2-ve cases achieved pCR. Ki67 and IHC4 score were both positively associated with achievement of pCR (P < 10^?7 and P < 10^?9, respectively) and RCB0+1 (P < 10^?5 and P < 10^?9, respectively) following neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in all patients. Rates of pCR+RCB1 were 45 and 66% in the highest quartiles of Ki67 and IHC4 scores, respectively. In ER+HER2-ve cases, pCR+RCB1 rates were 35% and in the highest quartile of both Ki67 and IHC4. There were no pCRs in the lower half of IHC4 or Ki67 scores.

Conclusions

IHC4 was strongly predictive of pCR or near pCR in ER+ breast cancers following neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Ki67 was an important component of this predictive ability, but was not as predictive as IHC4.

     

Clinicopathologic Factors Associated With Response to Neoadjuvant Anti-HER2–Directed Chemotherapy in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

BackgroundHER2-targeted neoadjuvant therapy has high efficacy in treating HER2-positive breast cancer. Response to neoadjuvant therapy helps clinicians make treatment decisions and make estimates about prognosis. This study examined clinicopathologic features to determine which may be most predictive of response to neoadjuvant therapy in HER2⁺ breast cancer.Patients and MethodsPatients with HER2⁺ breast cancer (n = 173) who had an initial biopsy performed between 2010 and 2016 were identified at our institution. Tumor response was evaluated on excisional specimens using the MD Anderson residual cancer burden (RCB) classification. Tumors with pathologic complete response (defined as no residual invasive carcinoma in the breast and lymph nodes) and RCB-I were classified as having response and tumors with RCB-II and -III as having no response. Patient age, tumor size, nuclear grade (1/2 vs. 3), mitosis, Nottingham grade, HER2 immunohistochemistry (1/2+ vs. 3+), HER2/CEP17 (chromosome enumeration probe 17) ratio, HER2 copy number, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, Ki-67, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) were evaluated and correlated with response. TILs were evaluated for an average and also for the hot spot/total tumor stromal ratio.ResultsSmall tumor size, low estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor expression, HER2 immunohistochemistry 3+, high Ki-67, high HER2/CEP17 ratio, and high HER2 copy number were significantly associated with response (all P < .05). TIL hot spot was associated with RCB in univariate (P < .05) but not multivariate analyses.ConclusionClinicopathologic features may help predict HER2⁺ breast cancer response to neoadjuvant therapy. Larger studies would be useful to confirm these associations, which may have relevance to clinical practice.     

血清HER2-ECD水平在乳腺癌新辅助化疗中的应用价值分析

背景与目的：人类表皮生长因子受体-2（human epidermal growth factor receptor-2,HER2）是一种原癌基因所表达的蛋白,HER2阳性往往预示着肿瘤进展快、容易发生淋巴结或血道转移,对新辅助化疗不敏感,预后不佳。本研究通过对乳腺癌患者血清HER2胞外段（extracellular domain,ECD）水平与患者临床新辅助化疗的反应性的比较,来评估血清HER2-ECD在新辅助化疗评估中的价值。方法：收集507例乳腺癌患者的治疗前血清样本,利用χ2检验比较血清HER2-ECD与患者年龄、分期、组织雌激素受体、孕激素受体、Ki-67及HER2的关系,对其中48例HER2表达阳性的行新辅助化疗的乳腺癌患者予以随访,单因素分析治疗前后血清HER2-ECD水平变化与新辅助化疗疗效之间的关系。结果：通过对507例患者血清HER2-ECD和临床病理特征的比较发现,在年龄>50岁、Ⅲ~Ⅳ期、组织雌激素受体（-）、孕激素受体（-）、Ki-67>20%及HER2（+）的患者中血清HER2-ECD阳性率较高。对48例组织HER2阳性的患者随访发现,血清HER2-ECD在治疗2个周期后即出现大幅下降,从18.10 ng/mL（13.20~28.95 ng/mL）降低到11.20 ng/mL（9.80~12.75 ng/mL）（P<0.01）。对48例患者进行疗效评估发现,新辅助化疗2个周期后血清HER2-ECD阴性的患者其客观缓解率（94.7%,36/38）显著高于治疗后血清HER2-ECD阳性的患者（60.0%,6/10）（P<0.05）。结论：乳腺癌患者血清HER2-ECD升高与其年龄、分期、组织雌激素受体、孕激素受体及Ki-67相关,且新辅助化疗2个周期后的血清HER2-ECD水平对新辅助化疗的疗效有一定的评估作用。     

The Hippo transducer TAZ as a biomarker of pathological complete response in HER2-positive breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant therapy

Activation of the Hippo transducer TAZ is emerging as a novel oncogenic route in breast cancer and it has been associated with breast cancer stem cells. Additionally, TAZ expression has been linked with HER-2 positivity. We investigated the association between TAZ expression and pathological complete response in HER2-positive breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant therapy. TAZ was assessed in diagnostic core biopsies by immunohistochemistry. To categorize samples with low TAZ and samples with high TAZ we generated a score by combining staining intensity and cellular localization. The pathological complete response rate was 78.6% in patients with low TAZ tumors and 57.6% in patients with high TAZ tumors (p=0.082). In HER2-enriched tumors there was no significant association between TAZ and pathological complete response, whereas in the luminal B subtype the pathological complete response rate was 82.4% in tumors with low TAZ and 44.4% in tumors with high TAZ (p=0.035). This association remained statistically significant when restricting our analysis to triple-positive tumors with expression of both estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor ≥ 50% (p=0.035). Results from this exploratory study suggest that the TAZ score efficiently predicts pathological complete response in Luminal B, HER2-positive breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab.     

Can shear-wave elastography predict response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in women with invasive breast cancer?

Background:

Response of invasive breast cancer to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is variable, and prediction of response is imperfect. We aimed to ascertain whether tissue stiffness in breast cancers, as assessed by shear-wave elastography (SWE) before treatment, is associated with response.

Methods:

We retrospectively compared pre-treatment tumour mean tissue stiffness, with post-treatment Residual Cancer Burden (RCB) scores and its components in 40 women with breast cancer treated by NAC using Pearson''s correlation coefficient (CC), a general linear model and multiple linear regression. Subgroup analysis was carried out for luminal, HER2-positive and basal immuno-histochemical subtypes.

Results:

Statistically significant correlations were shown between stiffness and RCB scores and between stiffness and percentage tumour cellularity. The correlation between stiffness and percentage cellularity was strongest (CC 0.35 (P<0.0001) compared with CC 0.23 (P=0.004) for the RCB score). The results of a general linear model show that cellularity and RCB score maintain independent relationships with stiffness. By multiple linear regression, only cellularity maintained a significant relationship with stiffness.

Conclusion:

Pre-treatment tumour stiffness measured by SWE, has a statistically significant relationship with pathological response of invasive breast cancer to NAC.     

HER2 and response to anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer

BackgroundThe predictive role of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) to adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy remains controversial. Here, we investigated the association between HER2 status and pathological response in breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant anthracycline-based regimens.Patients and methodsWomen (n = 538) with operable primary breast cancer received neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Pathological complete response (pCR) was defined as no invasive breast tumor cells in breast after completion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. HER2 status was determined by immunohistochemistry and/or by fluorescence in situ hybridization in core biopsy breast cancer tissue obtained before initiation of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.ResultsIn this cohort of 538 patients, 23.9% of patients achieved a pCR in their breast. HER2-positive tumors had a lower rate of pCR than did HER2-negative tumors (14.7% versus 25.7%, P = 0.013); negative HER2 status remained as an independent favorable predictor of pCR after adjusted for age, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, tumor size, chemotherapy cycles, and tumor grade in a multivariate analysis (odds ratio = 3.14; 95% confidence interval = 1.60–6.16, P = 0.001). Furthermore, patients with a pCR had a higher 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate than did patients without a pCR (P = 0.007).ConclusionWomen with HER2-negative breast cancers rather than HER2-positive tumors benefit from anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy.     

TOPⅡa基因扩增对蒽环类药物在HER2阳性乳腺癌新辅助化疗中的疗效预测

目的:研究TOPⅡa基因扩增对蒽环类药物在HER2阳性乳腺癌新辅助化疗中对于疗效的预测作用。方法:选择我院2007-2010年间216例HER2阳性乳腺癌新辅助化疗患者,均给予TAC（多西他赛+吡柔比星+环磷酰胺）方案进行化疗。依据TOPⅡa基因扩增状态将患者分为扩增组与非扩增组,对比组间客观有效率及病理完全缓解率差异。结果:HER2为3+者的客观有效率及病理完全缓解率优于2+/1+者。TOPⅡa基因扩增患者的ORR及pCR%显著优于非扩增组（74.6% vs.21.5%,38.8% vs.2.7%,P<0.001）。亚组分析中发现,在HER2表达一定时,TOPⅡa基因扩增情况对以蒽环类为基础的新辅助化疗方案的疗效仍具有预测作用。结论:HER2阳性乳腺癌对蒽环类有良好的临床疗效可能归因于肿瘤组织中TOPⅡa基因的扩增。     

原发性乳腺癌分子分型与新辅助化疗疗效及预后的相关性

目的 探讨原发性乳腺癌分子分型与新辅助化疗疗效及预后之间的相关性。方法 回顾性分析河南省肿瘤医院收治的204例接受新辅助化疗患者的临床病理资料,分为Luminal A、LuminalB、HER2阳性和三阴乳腺癌4种亚型,分析乳腺癌分子分型对新辅助化疗疗效及预后的预测作用。结果 204例患者中,40例（19.6％）为Luminal A亚型,46例（22.5％）为Luminal B亚型,36例（17.6％）为HER2阳性亚型,82例（40.2％）为三阴乳腺癌亚型。HER2阳性（22.2%）及三阴乳腺癌亚型（22.4%）的病理完全缓解（pCR）率明显高于Luminal A亚型（2.5％）及Luminal B亚型（6.5％）,差异有统计学意义（P=0.03）。与Luminal亚型相比,HER2阳性及三阴乳腺癌亚型具有更差的无病生存期（DFS）（P=0.001）和OS（P=0.002）;剔除获得pCR的患者,单独评价存在肿瘤残留的患者,我们发现HER2阳性及三阴乳腺癌亚型比Luminal亚型具有更差的DFS（P<0.001）和OS（P<0.001）。获得pCR的乳腺癌患者的5年DFS和总生存期（OS）均明显高于化疗后仍有癌残留的患者（P=0.002, P=0.012）。结论 相对于Luminal亚型,HER2 阳性和三阴乳腺癌亚型对新辅助化疗更为敏感,更易达到pCR;但是HER2阳性和三阴乳腺癌亚型预后反而更差。     

乳腺癌分子分型与新辅助化疗疗效关联性分析

目的乳腺癌在分子水平上特异性明显,新辅助化疗在其治疗上扮演的角色越来越重要。本研究旨在探讨乳腺癌分子分型与新辅助化疗疗效的相关性。方法回顾性分析2011-01-01-2015-12-31新疆医科大学附属肿瘤医院382例初治行新辅助化疗的乳腺癌患者的临床和病理资料,用免疫组化方法检测ER、PR、HER2和Ki-67的表达情况,判定分子分型,分析乳腺癌分子分型与新辅助化疗疗效的相关性。结果 Luminal型、HER2过表达型及三阴性型乳腺癌与临床疗效评价(χ^2=19.608,P<0.001)及病理疗效评价(χ^2=60.470,P<0.001)差异均有统计学意义的关联。三阴性型较HER2过表达型有更好组织学显著反应(χ^2=30.673,P<0.001),HER2过表达型较Luminal B型有更好的组织学显著反应,χ^2=25.480,P<0.001。临床疗效评价与病理疗效评价一致性欠佳(Kappa值≤0.40)。结论乳腺癌分子分型与新辅助化疗疗效有统计学意义的关联,HER2过表达型和三阴性型对新辅助化疗更敏感;临床疗效评价与病理疗效评价一致性欠佳。     

Predictive Value of IHC4 Score for Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the value of IHC4 in predicting pathological response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with hormonal receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer (BC). Materials and Methods: In this retrospective exploratory study, data for 68 HR-positive BC patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were recorded. IHC4 scores were calculated based on estrogen receptors/progesterone receptors, Ki-67 and HER2 status. Logistic and ordinal regression analyses in addition to likelihood ratio test were used to explore associations of IHC4 scores and other clinico-pathological parameters with pathological complete response (pCR) and pathological stage. Results: Taking the 25th percentile as the cut-off, a lower IHC4 score was associated with an increased probability of pCR (low; 52.9% vs. High; 21.6%, OR=4.1, 95% CI= 1.28-13.16, p=0.018) and a lower pathological stage (OR =3.9, 95% CI=1.34-11.33, p=0.012). When the IHC4 score was treated as a continuous variable, a lower score was again associated with an increased probability of pCR (OR=1.010, 95% CI=1.001-1.018, p=0.025) and lower pathological stage (OR=1.009, 95% CI= 1.002-1.017, P=0.008). Lower clinical stage was associated with a better pCR rate that was of borderline significance (P=0.056). When clinical stage and IHC4 score were incorporated together in a logistic model, the likelihood ratio test gave a P-value of 0.004 after removal of the IHC4 score and 0.011 after removal of the stage, indicating a more significant predictive value of the IHC4 score for pCR. Conclusions: This study suggests that the IHC4 score can predict pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in HR-positive BC patients. This finding now needs to be validated in a larger cohort of patients.     

Evaluation of Therapeutic Target Gene Expression Based on Residual Cancer Burden Classification After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for HER2-Negative Breast Cancer

IntroductionPatients with residual disease usually have a poor prognosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. The aim of this study was to explore therapeutic targets and potential additional adjuvant treatments for patients with residual disease after standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Patients and MethodsWe retrieved publicly available complementary DNA microarray data from 399 human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative primary breast cancer samples from patients who underwent standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We analyzed the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of key breast cancer markers and therapeutic target genes according to residual cancer burden (RCB) classification: RCB-0/I, RCB-II, and RCB-III.ResultsAmong hormone receptor–positive samples, there were more luminal A tumors by PAM50 (Prediction Analysis of Microarray 50 [Prosigna], aka Prosigna Breast Cancer Prognostic Gene Signature Assay) in RCB-III than in RCB-0/I and RCB-II (P < .01). The mRNA expressions of ESR1 and PGR were significantly higher, and that of MKI67 was lower in RCB-II and RCB-III than in RCB-0/I. The mRNA expression of cyclin D1 was up-regulated in RCB-III and that of CDKN2A was down-regulated in RCB-III (P = .027 and < .01). Among triple-negative (TN) samples, RCB-III had higher clinical stage and more lymph node–positive samples than RCB-0/1 and RCB-II (P < .01). In both subtypes, VEGF-C expression was significantly higher in RCB-III than in RCB-0/I and RCB-II.ConclusionIn hormone receptor–positive breast cancer, biological features such as luminal A were associated with RCB; this trend was not observed in TN breast cancer. Further, some targeted therapies should be tested as new strategies after standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy in future clinical trials.     

Influence of Neoadjuvant Therapy with Epirubicin and Docetaxel on the Expression of HER2/neu in Patients with Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND: In primary breast cancer, the expression levels of biological markers relevant to the progression of the disease may be altered by administration of anticancer drugs. Since neoadjuvant chemotherapy with epirubicin and docetaxel is increasingly used in advanced breast cancer, our purpose was to assess the influence of this neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the expression of the growth factor receptor HER2/neu. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated changes of HER2/neu status by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and applied additional fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in patients with potential modulation of HER2/neu status after administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with docetaxel and epirubicin in 97 breast cancer patients. The influence of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on HER2/neu expression was calculated by correlation of HER2/neu status before and after chemotherapy. RESULTS: The accuracy of HER2/neu assessment before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy by IHC combined with FISH analysis in selected cases was 100%. The evaluation of HER2/neu status in these patients by IHC alone yielded accuracy of 93%. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with epirubicin and docetaxel caused no significant modulation of HER2/neu status (p = 0.66). DISCUSSION: The administration of epirubicin and docetaxel in the neoadjuvant setting is not associated with significant changes of HER2/neu status in primary breast cancer. As a consequence, drug resistance or sensitivity is not induced by modulation of HER2/neu expression. Moreover, the time of assessment of the HER2/neu status is not a critical factor under neoadjuvant therapy with epirubicin and docetaxel.     

Serial topoisomerase II expression in primary breast cancer and response to neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the value of topoisomerase IIalpha (Topo II) in predicting the clinical response to anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancers and the potential changes in Topo II after chemotherapy. In parallel, HER2, which is commonly coexpressed with Topo II, and p53, a modulator of chemotherapy activity, were also analyzed. METHODS: Forty-one patients with primary breast cancer and treated with neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy (FAC or FEC) were included for the present study. Topo II, HER2 and p53 expression were measured by immunohistochemistry in pre and post chemotherapy (at the time of surgery), tumor specimens and the results were correlated with the clinical response. RESULTS: Topo II was overexpressed in 16 of 41 (31%) tumors before treatment, and this overexpression was significantly associated with clinical response (p = 0.03). HER2 and p53 were unrelated to response. Notably, Topo II overexpression, but not HER2 or p53, was lost in specimens after chemotherapy (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The observed link between Topo II and the clinical response to neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy, together with its loss after chemotherapy, implies that Topo II deserves further testing in a prospective setting as a predictive marker.