The Outcome of Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: A Single-Institute Experience

Abstract

Background and objectives: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has become a commonly used method of treatment for individuals diagnosed with breast cancer. It involves administering it before surgery or radiation therapy, aiming to shrink tumors and possibly enhance surgical results. This study evaluates the impact of Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in improving patient care and making treatment decisions. Methods: This retrospective study included reviewing the medical records of 141 patients with prespecified eligible inclusion criteria who were diagnosed with primary, non-metastatic breast cancer who received Neoadjuvant chemotherapy at the Azadi Hematology Oncology Center in the Duhok/Kurdistan region of Iraq between 2014 and 2023. Clinicopathological data, treatment details, and patient outcomes were collected from the institute's medical records. The data was collected and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results: Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with invasive ductal carcinoma demonstrated significantly better survival outcomes compared to those with invasive lobular carcinoma, as indicated by a higher censored rate with statistically significant (P = 0.008). Breast-conserving surgery and axillary treatment were associated with better survival (p < 0.0001), and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy staging influenced outcomes (p < 0.0001). Triple-negative breast cancer showed the highest pathological complete response rate (40%). Conclusions : This study concluded that Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is reasonable treatment for  Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2 positive and triple-negative non-metastatic breast cancer. This study found that breast-conserving surgery was associated with better outcomes compared to mastectomy as most patients were included in this study were eligible for this type of surgery based on the already established criteria.