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Neoadjuvant chemotherapy efficacy and prognosis in HER2-low and HER2-zero breast cancer patients by HR status: a retrospective study in China
- Source :
- PeerJ, Vol 12, p e17492 (2024)
- Publication Year :
- 2024
- Publisher :
- PeerJ Inc., 2024.
-
Abstract
- Background The promising efficacy of novel anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) in HER2-low breast cancer has made HER2-low a research hotspot. However, controversy remains regarding the neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) efficacy, prognosis, and the relationship with hormone receptor (HR) status of HER2-low. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 975 patients with HER2-negative breast cancer undergoing NAC at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, evaluating pathological complete response (pCR) rate and prognosis between HER2-low and HER2-zero in the overall cohort and subgroups. Results Overall, 579 (59.4%) and 396 (40.6%) patients were HER2-low and HER2-zero disease, respectively. Compared with HER2-zero, the HER2-low cohort consists of more postmenopausal patients, with lower histological grade and higher HR positivity. In the HR-positive subgroup, HER2-low cases remain to exhibit lower histological grade, while in the HR-negative subgroup, they show higher grade. The HER2-low group had lower pCR rates than the HER2-zero group (16.4% vs. 24.0%). In the HR-positive subgroup, HER2-low consistently showed lower pCR rate (8.1% vs. 15.5%), and served as an independent suppressive factor for the pCR rate. However, no significant difference was observed in the pCR rates between HER2-low and HER2-zero in the HR-negative breast cancer. In the entire cohort and in stratified subgroups based on HR and pCR statuses, no difference in disease-free survival were observed between HER2-low and HER2-zero. Conclusions In the Chinese population, HER2-low breast cancer exhibits distinct characteristics and efficacy of NAC in different HR subgroups. Its reduced pCR rate in HR-positive subgroup is particularly important for clinical decisions. However, HER2-low is not a reliable factor for assessing long-term survival outcomes.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 21678359
- Volume :
- 12
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- PeerJ
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.57a21d9096a843cb9cf50f2346a677c3
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17492