Analysis on complete pathological response and estimated survival among breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy in a private institution in the state of Rio de Janeiro

• Published in: Brazilian Journal of Oncology Vol. 17
• Main Authors: Letícia Morais C. O. Sermoud, Maria de Fátima Dias Gaui, Thamirez de Almeida Vieira Ferreira, Lilian Campos Lerner, Gustavo Buscacio, Dante Pagnoncelli, Luiz Henrique Araujo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Oncologia Clínica, Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Clínica and Sociedade Brasileira de Radioterapia 01-10-2021
• Subjects: breast neoplasms; neoadjuvant therapy; neoplasm; pathology; residual; surgical
• DOI: 10.5935/2526-8732.20210026
• EISSN: 2526-8732

Objective: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women, both in developed and in developing countries. Indications for neoadjuvant treatment have been expanded so that pathological responses can be evaluated. Diversified therapeutic approaches may thus be indicated in accordance with each residual disease profile. This was a real-life study, in which the aim was to analyze the complete pathological response (CPR) and estimated survival among breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy in a private institution in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Methods: This was a prospective observational cohort study on patients diagnosed with breast cancer and treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, in a private institution. The primary objective of this study was to analyze CPR. As secondary endpoints, we evaluated the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of these patients and correlated them with clinical-pathological variables. Results: CPR was achieved in: 12.5% of luminal A cases; 19.5% of luminal B/HER-2-negative cases; 38.5% of luminal B/ HER-2-positive cases; 65% of HER-2-enriched cases; and 37.8% of triple negative cases. There was a significant correlation between CPR and histopathological subtypes (p<0.001). At the end of 36 months, the DFS for patients with CPR was 89.1% vs. 72.4% for the others (p=0.01). OS could not be calculated for patients who achieved CPR, because there was no event. Conclusion: We confirmed in this study that a correlation exists between CPR and overall survival. In addition, we were able to show that even in developing countries, such as Brazil, appropriate treatments can be offered in accordance with international guidelines, such that our results were consequently similar to those in the worldwide literature.