[Primary systemic chemotherapy for breast cancer]

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer has achieved a higher response rate with the combination of anthracycline and taxane. Molecular targeted agents, such as trastuzumab, are expected to enhance the effectiveness of treatment. The main objectives of neoadjuvant chemotherapy are to reduce tumor size, increase breast conserving rate, identify treatment response, adjust the following treatment strategy, and develop a new treatment using biological specimens. Recently, there has been an increasing demand to provide a tailored treatment in neoadjuvant chemotherapy with establishment of genetic testing for biological markers and adjustment of therapeutic strategy following identification of the early treatment response. We reviewed recent advances in neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.