Neoadyuvancia en cáncer de mama: Papel del patólogo

Neoadjuvant therapy was first used for locally advanced breast carcinoma and in cases in which the carcinoma is initially inoperable. More recently, it has been extended to include operable, stage II/III carcinomas of the breast to increase the possibility of conservative surgery. Neoadjuvant therapy also allows the response of the primary tumour to a particular type of chemiotherapy to be evaluated and, if necessary, changed, in the absence of tumour response. Although the overall pathological response is a prognositic factor, no consensus has been reached as to the method of evaluation of this important pathological parameter and different criteria may be used in its assessment. Finally, core needle biopsy can provide important information which helps determine the indication for and the type of neoadjuvant therapy.