Transcriptional profile and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer *

SummaryObjectiveTo improve the accuracy predictive models of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer, cDNA microarray technology was used to study tumor transcriptional profile. Gene signatures associated with predicting the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy are the subject of this review.MethodsThe data base http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ search was conducted by using the words “breast cancer” AND “neoadjuvant/primary chemotherapy” AND “gene expression profile/microarray”. After excluding the repeats and selecting the publications considered most relevant by the authors to be presented, 279 publications were retrieved.ResultsThe number of publications regarding this subject has been increasing over the years, reaching over 50 in 2010, including the response to different chemotherapeutic drugs, such as anthracyclines and taxanes either alone or in combination. The first studies are from early last decade and used microarray platforms produced by the investigators. Recent studies have used commercial microarray platforms whose data have been stored in public databases, allowing for the analysis of a higher number of samples. Several transcriptional profiles associated with the complete pathological response were identified. Other authors used the clinical response to treatment as an endpoint, and, in this case, a predictive panel of resistance to the chemotherapeutic regimen at issue was determined. This is also a key issue, as it can contribute to individualize treatment, allowing patients resistant to a certain chemotherapeutic agent to be offered another therapeutic regimen.ConclusionIdentifying patients responsive to chemotherapy is of essential interest and despite major steps have been taken, the issue warrants further studies in view of its complexity.