Trastuzumab in Primary Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC): High Pathological Response Rates and Improved Outcome |
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| Authors: | Shaheenah Dawood MRCP Yun Gong MD Kristine Broglio MS Thomas A Buchholz MD Wendy Woodward MD Anthony Lucci MD Vicente Valero MD Ana M Gonzalez‐Angulo MD Gabriel N Hortobagyi MD Massimo Cristofanilli MD |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Departments of Breast Medical Oncology;2. Department of Medical Oncology, Dubai Hospital, Dubai, UAE;3. Pathology;4. Quantitative Sciences;5. Radiotherapy;6. Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
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| Abstract: | Abstract: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) represents a rare but aggressive and lethal form of locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) and frequently with HER‐2 neu overexpressed or amplified. We retrospectively identified 16 newly diagnosed HER‐2/neu‐positive IBC patients who were treated with preoperative trastuzumab. We determined the pathological complete response rate (pCR) when trastuzumab was added to preoperative chemotherapy in patients with HER2/neu‐positive IBC. Furthermore, we assessed the expression of CXCR4 in metastatic recurrence sites. Ten patients (62.5%) achieved a pCR. Six patients (37.5%) achieved a partial response. Median follow‐up of all patients was 24.2 months. Four (25%) patients have experienced a progression, of which three were in the brain. Two‐year progression‐free survival was 59.4% (95% CI 35–100). High expression of CXCR4 was detected in the brain metastases. We conclude that in spite of high pCR rates among women with HER‐2/neu‐positive IBC treated with neoadjuvant trastuzumab‐based regimens the outcome remains dismal and brain recurrences are frequent. CXCR4 may represent a novel therapeutic target. |
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| Keywords: | CXCR4 inflammatory breast cancer trastuzumab |
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