title: Pathological complete response after preoperative systemic therapy and outcome: relevance of clinical and biologic baseline features.
abstract: In order to evaluate the outcome of patients with breast cancer according to response after primary therapy and according to clinical and biologic baseline features, we identified patients who were treated with preoperative therapy and who underwent surgery at the European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy, between 1995 and 2006. The outcome of patients who achieved pathological complete remission (pCR) and patients with residual disease (RD) at final surgery was analyzed. Of the 687 patients treated with preoperative therapy, we identified 82 patients who achieved pCR (12%) and 605 patients with RD (88%). A statistically significant difference in disease-free survival (DFS), distant disease-free survival (DDFS), and overall survival (OS) was observed for patients with pCR compared with those who had RD (5 year DFS 73% vs. 59% P = 0.029; 5 year DDFS 81% vs. 72% P = 0.085; 5 year OS 88% vs. 77% P = 0.033). At the multivariate analysis, for patients achieving pCR, large tumor size (> 5 cm) correlated with worse DFS (HR 3.18; 95% CI 1.34-7.51); clinical nodal involvement was associated with poorer DFS and DDFS (HR 6.94; 95% CI 1.62-29.73 and HR 9.87 95% CI 1.29-75.53, respectively). pCR after preoperative systemic therapy correlated with significant improved outcome. A substantial rate of relapse was observed for patients with large tumors and with clinical nodal involvement at baseline. Further improvement in adjuvant treatment might be warranted.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, European Institute of Oncology, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141, Milan, Italy. emilia.montagna@ieo.it
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montagna
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bagnardi
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rotmensz
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Viale
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pruneri
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Veronesi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cancello
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balduzzi
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dellapasqua
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cardillo
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luini
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zurrida
authors.forename: Oreste
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gentilini
authors.forename: Mauro Giuseppe
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Mastropasqua
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bottiglieri
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iorfida
authors.forename: Aron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goldhirsch
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colleoni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D018579:Patient Selection; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D047368:Tumor Burden