title: Ki-67 biomarker in breast cancer of Indian women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Biological markers that reliably predict clinical or pathological response to primary systemic therapy early during a course of chemotherapy may have considerable clinical potential.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Aims of study to evaluated changes in Ki-67 (MIB-1) labeling index and apoptotic index (AI) before, during, and after neoadjuvant anthracycline chemotherapy in breast cancer in Indian women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Breast cancer tissues were collected from Grant Medical College and Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals, Mumbai, India. Twenty-seven patients receiving neoadjuvant FEC (5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide) chemotherapy for operable breast cancer underwent repeat core biopsy after 21 days of treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The objective clinical response rate was 56%. Eight patients (31%) achieved a pathological response by histopathological criteria; two patients had a near-complete pathological response. Increased day-21 AI was a statistically significant predictor of pathological response (p = 0.049). A strong trend for predicting pathological response was seen with higher Ki-67 indices at day 21 and AI at surgery (p = 0.06 and 0.06, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The clinical utility of early changes in biological marker expression during chemotherapy remains unclear. Until further prospectively validated evidence confirming the reliability of predictive biomarkers is available, clinical decision-making should not be based upon individual biological tumor biomarker profiles.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Government Medical College, Miraj, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Amit V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.forename: Rajeev
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Singhai
authors.forename: Rahul S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Bhamre
authors.forename: Vinayak W
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Patil