Clinical study of the relationship between γ-synuclein and the response of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate relationships between several protein biomarkers and clinical responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer.

METHODS

Tumour tissue samples from female patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma (stages IIA to IIIC), treated with NAC regimens (including 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide and docetaxel, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide) were analysed retrospectively. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to test for protein levels of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2, protein 53 (p53) and γ-synuclein. Relationships between protein biomarkers and responses to NAC were analysed by multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Data from 154 patients (median age, 51 years; range 27-75 years) were included. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that γ-synuclein was an independent predictor of NAC objective response rate, and a statistically significant relationship was observed between NAC regimen, γ-synuclein levels and pathological complete response rate.

CONCLUSIONS

These study findings suggest that γ-synuclein - in combination with other markers such as ER, PR and HER-2 - may serve as a biomarker for response to NAC in breast cancer and warrants further study.