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Tumor immune microenvironment components and the other markers can predict the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer

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Abstract

Breast cancer is an epithelial malignant tumor that occurs in the terminal ducts of the breast. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is an important part of breast cancer treatment. Its purpose is to use systemic treatment for some locally advanced breast cancer patients, to decrease the tumor size and clinical stage so that non-operable breast cancer patients can have a chance to access surgical treatment, or patients who are not suitable for breast-conserving surgery can get the opportunity of breast-conserving. However, some patients who do not respond to NACT will lead deterioration in their condition. Therefore, prediction of NACT efficacy in breast cancer is vital for precision therapy. The tumor microenvironment (TME) has a crucial role in the carcinogenesis and therapeutic response of breast cancer. In this review, we summarized the immune cells, immune checkpoints, and other biomarkers in the TME that can evaluate the efficacy of NACT in treating breast cancer. We believe that the detection and evaluation of the TME components in breast cancer are helpful to predict the efficacy of NACT, and the prediction methods are in the prospect. In addition, we also summarized other predictive factors of NACT, such as imaging examination, biochemical markers, and multigene/multiprotein profiling.

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Funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Undergraduate Innovation Project of China (No. 202210486098).

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  1. Weiqian Zhang and Ke Xu have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, People’s Republic of China

    Weiqian Zhang, Ke Xu, Zhengfa Li & Honglei Chen

  2. Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, People’s Republic of China

    Weiqian Zhang, Ke Xu, Zhengfa Li & Honglei Chen

  3. Department of Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, People’s Republic of China

    Linwei Wang

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Contributions

Conceptualization: W.Z., K.X., H.C.; writing—original: draft W.Z., K.X.; writing—review and editing: L.W., H.C; supervision: H.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Honglei Chen.

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Zhang, W., Xu, K., Li, Z. et al. Tumor immune microenvironment components and the other markers can predict the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Clin Transl Oncol 25, 1579–1593 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-023-03075-y

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