Clinicopathological features, etiological factors and survival outcomes in breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a study from western Algeria
TL;DR
Findings underline the predominance of breast cancer among middle-aged and older women and the value of Ki-67 as a marker of tumour aggressiveness and confirm the prognostic relevance of HR status and emphasise the importance of early detection and personalised follow-up.
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women. It is a biologically heterogeneous disease resulting from a multifactorial process. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) has become a key treatment for patients with locally advanced or high-risk early-stage breast cancer, with its initiation guided by clinicopathological and etiological factors reflecting tumour aggressiveness and patient profile. This study aimed to describe the distribution of these factors among breast cancer patients treated with NACT in western Algeria, focusing on breast cancer subtypes and survival outcomes. We retrospectively analysed data from 327 breast cancer patients treated with NACT between January 2020 and December 2024. Data were collected from medical records and assessed among breast cancer subtypes using the chi-square test. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier method. In our cohort, most patients were aged 50 years or older (68.5%) and presented with a consul-tation delay exceeding 3 months after symptom onset. The Luminal B (LB) subtype was predominant (48.6%). High Ki-67 expression was observed in the majority of tumours, particularly among LB and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes. Histologically, Scarff–Bloom–Richardson grade II tumours were the most frequent in our cohort (64.5%). T2 tumours were prevalent, and nodal involvement was predominantly N1 stage. TNBC and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-enriched subtypes showed poorer clinical outcomes, whereas hormone receptor (HR)-positive tumours were associated with better survival. These findings underline the predominance of breast cancer among middle-aged and older women and the value of Ki-67 as a marker of tumour aggressiveness. They also confirm the prognostic relevance of HR status and emphasise the importance of early detection and personalised follow-up, supported by molecular profiling and emerging biomarkers.