title: Low expression of stathmin in tumor predicts high response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with docetaxel-containing regimens in locally advanced breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We performed this retrospective study to evaluate the value of clinicopathological factors and a novel molecular marker stathmin in predicting treatment response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) with docetaxel-containing regimens in patients with locally advanced breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four consecutive locally advanced patients receiving docetaxel-containing NCT between January 2006 and July 2010 in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital were included. The expression levels of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2), and p53 were detected by immunohistochemistry, while expression of stathmin mRNA was measured by Quanti-Gene assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall clinical objective response (cOR) rate was 75.9% (41/54) in breast. A total of 34 patients (63.0%) experienced pathological OR (pOR), with pathological complete remission (pCR) rate of 20.4% (11/54) in breast and 16.7% (9/54) in both breast and axilla. In univariate analysis, there were associations of pOR in both breast and axilla with age (p=0.054), ER status (p=0.059), subtypes (p=0.062), p53 (p=0.030), and stathmin expression (three terciles) (p=0.039). Mean expression of stathmin in pOR group was 0.410, compared with that in no response group of 0.556 (p=0.051 by Student's t-test). Similarly, a lower expression of stathmin might represent a higher pCR rate (p=0.061). Moreover, the LOWESS smoothing plot showed the same trend, that is, that tumor with a lower level of stathmin expression had a higher probability of response to docetaxel-containing NCT. After multivariate adjustment, both ER and stathmin remained significant with hazard ratio of 4.58 (95% CI: 1.11-18.94, p=0.036) and 2.94 (95% CI: 1.26-6.86, p=0.012), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, ER and stathmin were independent predictive factors for NCT with docetaxel-containing regimens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Cancer Surgery, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. mxlmail@126.com
authors.forename: Xu-Li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yan-Jun
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Hong-Jian
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Shang-Nao
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D000077143:Docetaxel; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000096:biosynthesis; D050777:Stathmin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; C493995:STMN1 protein, human; D050777:Stathmin; D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel