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HER-2/neu status and response to CMF: retrospective study in a series of operable breast cancer treated with primary CMF chemotherapy

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Abstract

Purpose

Primary chemotherapy brings the opportunity for an early and accurate assessment of response and offers an ideal model to search for new predictors of response. HER-2/neu is one of the most studied genes for this purpose.

Patients and methods

Her-2/neu was tested in a non-randomized series of 300 patients with operable breast carcinomas treated with primary CMF. Response was assessed by mammography. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated after a mean follow-up of 116 months. Statistical analysis was performed to study the association between HER-2/neu status and response to CMF.

Results

Overexpression/amplification was found in 23.66% cases. Univariate analysis showed that response was similar in HER-2/neu positive and negative tumors (51.38 vs. 47.36%, P = 0.6). Triple negative tumors (ER, PR and HER-2/neu negative) presented the highest response rate (64.9%). By multivariate analysis, response was significantly correlated to higher nuclear grade and negative estrogen receptor status (P = 0.02 and 0.007, respectively). Patients with HER-2/neu positive tumors presented shorter survival rates (P = 0.06). Patients with response to CMF showed a better survival over non-responders independent of Her-2/neu status. Patients with the combination of response to CMF and Her-2/neu negative tumors presented the best outcome. On the other hand, the association of no response to CMF and positive Her-2/neu score was statistically related to poor DFS and OS.

Conclusions

CMF indication is independent of Her-2/neu status.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Breast Cancer Unit, Institut Català d’Oncologia, Hospital Duran i Reynals, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain

    Catalina Falo, Abelardo Moreno, Mar Varela, Belen Lloveras, Agnès Figueras & Agustín Escobedo

  2. Department of Medical Oncology, Breast Cancer Unit, Institut Català d’Oncologia, Hospital Duran i Reynals, L’Hospitalet, Spain

    Catalina Falo

  3. Department of Pathology, Breast Cancer Unit, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, L’Hospitalet, Spain

    Abelardo Moreno

  4. Tumour Bank, Institut Català d’Oncologia, Hospital Duran i Reynals, L’Hospitalet, Spain

    Mar Varela

  5. Department of Pathology, Institut Català d’Oncologia, Hospital Duran i Reynals, L’Hospitalet, Spain

    Belen Lloveras

  6. Translational Research Laboratory, Institut Català d’Oncologia, Hospital Duran i Reynals, L’Hospitalet, Spain

    Agnès Figueras

  7. Breast Cancer Unit, Institut Català d’Oncologia, Hospital Duran i Reynals, L’Hospitalet, Spain

    Agustín Escobedo

  8. Unitat Funcional de Mama, Institut Català d’Oncologia, Avda Gran Via s/n, Km 2.7, 08907, L’Hospitalet, Barcelona, Spain

    Catalina Falo

Authors
  1. Catalina Falo
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  2. Abelardo Moreno
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  3. Mar Varela
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  4. Belen Lloveras
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  5. Agnès Figueras
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  6. Agustín Escobedo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Catalina Falo.

Additional information

We have not received any financial support for the development of this study. The authors thank Edurne Arriola for the assistance in the correction of the paper.

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Falo, C., Moreno, A., Varela, M. et al. HER-2/neu status and response to CMF: retrospective study in a series of operable breast cancer treated with primary CMF chemotherapy. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 133, 423–429 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-006-0176-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-006-0176-7

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