The predictive value of biological characteristics of residual tumors after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in early triple-negative breast cancer

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a widely used approach in patients with early triple-negative and Her2-positive breast cancer (BC). This allows in vivo evaluation of treatment efficacy and reduction of the local treatment extent in some patients, as well as prognosis assessment and the prescription of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with residual tumors. The study evaluated the predictive value of estimating tumor response to treatment using the RCB (Residual Cancer Burden) staging system and assessed Ki-67 levels and tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) concentrations in residual tumors in patients with primary operable BC with triple-negative phenotype (TN BC) receiving neoadjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy. The study revealed that complex assessment of the RCB, Ki-67, and TILs parameters provides more accurate predictive information compared to simply asserting the presence or absence of a residual tumor, and allows assignment of patients to escalation or de-escalation of adjuvant systemic therapy.

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