Linc00665 Can Predict the Response to Cisplatin-Paclitaxel Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer Patients

Linc00665, a novel long non-coding RNA, can promote the progression of breast cancer, but its value in predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for breast cancer has not been reported. We aim to analyze the correlation between Linc00665 expression and pathological complete response (pCR) in breast cancer patients. We examined the predictive role of Linc00665 expression in pCR after NAC using both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under curve (AUC) were utilized to evaluate performance of Linc00665 in predicting pCR. We also conducted Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) to find out the biological processes Linc00665 may participate in. Univariate analysis showed Linc00665 level, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status and hormone receptor (HR) status were correlated with pCR. Multivariate analysis showed Linc00665 expression was an independent predictor of pCR (OR=0.351, 95%CI 0.125-0.936, p=0.04), especially in patients with HR-positive/HER2-negative subtype (OR=0.272, 95%CI 0.104-0.664, p=0.005). KEGG analysis indicated Linc00665 may be involved in drug metabolism. GSEA analysis showed Linc00665 was related to DNA damage repair. Linc00665 may be a potential novel predictive biomarker for breast cancer in NAC, especially for HR-positive/HER2-negative patients.