P53 Can Predict Outcome After Taxene-Based Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Early Breast Cancer

ABSTRACT Background Taxene-based adjuvant chemotherapy is widely accepted in lymph node (LN)-positive breast cancer, but few biomarkers exist to predict clinical outcomes. We prospectively investigate the role of potential biomarkers in LN-positive breast cancer population homogenously treated with docetaxel-containing adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods From 2007 to 2008, 218 patients with LN-positive breast cancer who received adjuvant chemotherapy (4 cycles of adriamycin 60 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 followed by 4 cycles of docetaxel 100 mg/m2) were enrolled in this analysis. Immunohistochemical stainings for ER, PR, p53, topoisomerase-IIα, β-III tubulin, Tau, CYP3A4 and Her2/neu were performed in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue section and their relationships with prognosis were investigated. Results With a median follow-up of 58.3 months (range, 10.9-62.9), p53 and topoisomerase-IIα over-expression were associated with poor relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) along with tumor size >2 cm, number of positive LN (≥4), high tumor grade (G3), and negativity of hormone receptor in univariate analyses. However, in multivariate analyses, number of positive LN ≥4 (HR = 2.47; 95% CI, 1.07-5.74; p = 0.035), high tumor grade (HR = 2.76; 95% CI, 1.08-7.09, p = 0.034), and over-expression of p53 (HR = 6.55; 95% CI, 2.40-17.85, p  Conclusions p53 over-expression along with number of positive LN and tumor grade was found to be useful biomarker to predict poor outcomes in patients with LN-positive breast cancer receiving docetaxel-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.