Evaluation of histomorphological changes in breast cancer following neoadjuvant therapy at a tertiary care centre,...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pathology
• Medical Research

Background:

• Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality in women globally.
• Predicting treatment response in breast cancer patients remains a significant clinical challenge.
• Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is utilized for tumor downstaging and assessing histopathological response prior to surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the histomorphological changes induced by neoadjuvant therapy in breast cancer patients.
• To determine the correlation between these changes and pathological complete response (pCR).
• To identify prognostic indicators for therapeutic response and patient outcomes following NAT.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 125 breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy.
• Analysis of tumor cellularity and fibrosis before and after NAT.
• Assessment of pathological complete response (pCR) rates.
• Correlation analysis of post-NAT tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes with pCR.

Main Results:

• NAT significantly reduced tumor cellularity (82.4% to 31.7%, p < 0.001) and increased fibrosis (15.2% to 48.6%, p < 0.001).
• Pathological complete response (pCR) was achieved in 32% of patients, with higher rates in triple-negative (42.1%) and HER2-positive (38.5%) subtypes.
• High post-NAT tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes showed a strong correlation with pCR (r = 0.67, p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Neoadjuvant therapy induces significant histomorphological alterations in breast tumors.
• These changes, particularly post-NAT tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, serve as key prognostic indicators.
• NAT response assessment through histomorphology can predict therapeutic success and improve patient outcomes in breast cancer.