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Updated: Apr 6, 2026
Heterogeneity Mapping of Protein Expression in Tumors using Quantitative Immunofluorescence
Published on: October 25, 2011
[Predictive value of conventional immuno-histochemical biomarkers in breast cancer]
Background:
Pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) in breast cancer (BC) identifies patients with good prognosis.
Aim:
To assess if the clinico-pathological subtype, determined by classic immunohistochemical (IHC) markers, is able to predict pCR and prognosis in BC patients treated with NCT.
Material And Methods:
One hundred thirty three BC patients aged 24-80 years, were treated with NCT. Clinico-pathological subtype was defined based on classic IHC markers. pCR was defined as the absence of invasive neoplastic cells in the breast and lymph nodes, on final breast surgery.
Results:
pCR was achieved in 8.2% of patients, 3.5 and 19.5% in luminal and hormonal receptor (HR) negative tumors respectively (p < 0.01). Median follow-up was 72.6 months (3.5-190). Patients who achieved pCR had higher overall survival (OS) (p = 0.04). A univariate analysis revealed that size of the tumor, ratio of metastatic to examined lymph nodes and absence of HR were significant predictors of pCR. These findings were not replicated in the multivariate analyses.
Conclusions:
Clinico-pathological subtypes were independent prognostic factors for pCR and OS in BC patients in our cohort. These findings support using classic and cheap biomarkers as a predictive tool for NCT in BC.
