Hormone receptor status and pathologic response... : Annals of Oncology (original) (raw)

original article: breast cancer

Hormone receptor status and pathologic response of HER2-positive breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab

• F. Peintinger
• A. U. Buzdar
• H. M. Kuerer
• J. A. Mejia
• C. Hatzis
• A. M. Gonzalez-Angulo
• L. Pusztai
• F. J. Esteva
• S. S. Dawood
• M. C. Green
• G. N. Hortobagyi
• W. F. Symmans

Annals of Oncology

19

(

12

)

:p

2020

-

2025

,

December 2008

.

Background

The aim of this study was to compare the extent of pathologic response in patients with HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer treated with standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with or without trastuzumab (H), according to hormone receptor (HR) status.

Patients and methods

We included 199 patients with HER2+ breast cancer from three successive cohorts of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy on the basis of paclitaxel (Taxol) (P) administered weekly (w) or three weekly (3-w), followed by 5-fluorouracil (F), doxorubicin (A) or epirubicin (E), and cyclophosphamide (C). Residual cancer burden (RCB) was determined from pathologic review of the primary tumor and lymph nodes and was classified as pathologic complete response (pCR) or minimal (RCB-I), moderate (RCB-II), or extensive (RCB-III) residual disease.

Results

In HR-positive (HR+) cancers, a higher rate of pathologic response (pCR/RCB-I) was observed with concurrent H + 3-wP/FEC (73%) than with 3-wP/FEC (34%, _P_=0.002) or wP/FAC (47%; _P_=0.02) chemotherapy alone. In HR-negative (HR−) cancers, there were no significant differences in the rate of pathologic response (pCR/RCB-I) from 3-wP/FAC (50%), wP/FAC (68%), or concurrent H + 3-wP/FEC (72%).

Conclusions

Patients with HR+/HER2+ breast cancer obtained significant benefit from addition of trastuzumab to P/FEC chemotherapy; pathologic response rate was similar to that seen in HR−/HER2+ breast cancers.