title: Response to neoadjuvant therapy and disease free survival in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Triple negative breast cancer(TNBC)is characterized by estrogen receptor (ER) negative, progesterone receptor (PgR)negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) negative. It is a high risk breast cancer that lacks the benefit of specific therapy targeting these proteins. In this study, we compared the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and disease free survival between patients with TNBC and non-TNBC.
  
  
  METHODS
  151 patients were included in this study, who received neoadjuvant taxane and anthracycline-based chemotherapy at Peking University People's Hospital from 2002 to 2007. TNBC is defined by the lack of ER, PgR, and HER-2 expression by immunohistochemistry. Clinical and pathologic parameters, pathologic complete response(pCR)rates and survival measurements were compared between patients with TNBC and non-TNBC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  21 of 151 patients (14%) had TNBC. Patients with TNBC compared with non-TNBC had significantly higher pCR rates(38% v 12%; p=0.002), but decreased disease-free survival rates(p=0.004). If pCR was achieved, patients with TNBC and non-TNBC had similar survival (p=0.497).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with TNBC have increased pCR rates compared with non-TNBC, and those with pCR achieved excellent disease free survival. However, patients who did not get pCR have significantly worse survival if they have TNBC compared with non-TNBC.
authors.affiliation: Breast Disease Center, Peking University, People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Houpu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Fuzhong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Jiaqing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Deqi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hongjun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yingming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Po
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Miao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jiajia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human