title: Effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on expressions of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, and Ki-67 in breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was designed in an attempt to determine the influence of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2), and Ki-67 expressions in patients with breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pre- and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy, paired-tumor specimens from 103 patients with breast cancer administrated with anthracycline or anthracycline combined taxane regimen were collected. Immunohistochemical staining for ER, PR, Her-2, and Ki-67 was performed by the DAKO EnVision method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 103 cases, five patients (4.9%) had a complete response (CR), 82 (79.6%) partial response (PR), 15 (14.6%) stable disease (SD), and one (0.9%) progressive disease (PD), yielding an overall response rate (CR + PR) of 84.5%. Nine patients achieved pathological CR. There was a significant decrease in the average index of Ki-67 postneoadjuvant chemotherapy, compared with that before chemotherapy (24.1% vs. 39.7%, P < 0.001). After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the changes of Ki-67 in different subtypes of breast cancer were different (P < 0.001), and these changes correlated with response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P < 0.001). No significant changes in immunohistochemical expression were observed for ER, PR and Her-2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neoadjuvant chemotherapy apparently reduced Ki-67 index in primary breast carcinomas, but profiles for ER, PR and Her-2 were not significantly different before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The change of Ki-67 correlated with molecular subtypes and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, suggesting that Ki-67 index was a surrogate marker to predict the treatment response of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China.
authors.forename: Qinghong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China.
authors.forename: Fangfang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Oncology, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China.
authors.forename: Qixing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China.
authors.forename: Qinguo
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China. Email: weicy63@aliyun.com.
authors.forename: Changyuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D043823:Taxoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines; D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D043823:Taxoids; C080625:taxane; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human