NTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND: Some reports have shown that absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) is associated with prognosis in breast cancer; however, the impact of ALC changes remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between ALC changes during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer patients and disease prognosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This retrospective cohort study January 2010 to September 2020) included patients diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer and treated with trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The ALC ratio was defined as the ALC value after administration of the anti-HER2 drug divided by the ALC value before administration. The optimal ALC ratio cut-off value was identified using the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and Youden's index. The relationship between the ALC ratio and disease-free survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

Data from a total of 100 HER2-positive breast cancer patients were analyzed. The cut-off value of the ALC ratio was set as 1.142. The median follow-up period was 52.0 (range: 5.1-123.7) months. The 5-year disease-free survival rates were 88.4% and 60.9% in the high-and low-ALC ratio groups, respectively, and were significantly higher in the high-ALC ratio group (p = .0031). The ALC ratio was an independent prognostic factor in multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis (p = .0032).

CONCLUSION

HER2-positive breast cancer patients with a higher ALC ratio during trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy may have a better prognosis than their counterparts.