Abstract:

This study aims to investigate factors influencing the outcomes of early-stage triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients.We conducted a retrospective analysis of 101 early-stage TNBC patients at Medipol University Faculty of Medicine from 2012 to 2022. Patient characteristics, including age, menopausal status, treatment regimens, clinical and pathological stages, surgical interventions, adjuvant therapies, and genetic mutations, were considered. We defined pathological complete response (pCR) as the absence of residual cancer cells following neoadjuvant treatment(NAT).The median age was 45.3 years, 55 of them were premenopausal, and 46 were postmenopausal. Most patients (70.3%) had T2 tumors, and 35.6% had N0 clinical lymph node status, while 52.5% had N1. NAT was administered to 63.4% of patients, and adjuvant treatment to 36.6%. Among the patients who received NAT, 32.8% achieved a pCR. Factors such as T stage, N stage, dose-dense chemotherapy, addition of carboplatin to NAT, and BRCA mutation status showed no significant difference between patients achieving pCR and those who did not. High Ki-67 expression was associated with higher pCR rates. The 24-month disease-free survival(DFS) and overall survival(OS) rates were 78.5% and 83.6%, respectively. Factors such as adjuvant capecitabine use, menopausal status, low ki-67 expression, and achieving pCR were associated with longer DFS. On multivariate analysis, the initial N stage and achieving pCR were independent prognostic factors for DFS. For OS, initial N stage and pCR status were significant prognostic factors.This study highlights the significance of achieving pCR in early-stage TNBC and the DFS benefits of adjuvant capecitabine.

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