Which type of breast cancer responds better to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC)?
Triple negative tumour responds best to chemotherapy, similar to other aggressive cancers.
Which factors are significantly associated with NAC non-response?
Estrogen receptor (ER)-positive cancers, HER2-negative cancers, and the presence of intratumoral necrosis are significantly associated with NAC non-response.
Breast MR imaging is the most sensitive modality for breast cancer detection and is the most accurate imaging modality for assessment of tumor response to neoadjuvant therapy.
The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) response patterns is the most used method to assess breast cancer response to neoadjuvant treatment.
These patterns are as follows:
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NO RESPONSE
No changes were observed in the tumor size
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MINOR PARTIAL RESPONSE
Tumor size reduction 50 %
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MAJOR PARTIAL RESPONSE
Tumor size reduction 50 %
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COMPLETE RESPONSE
No radiological residual tumor