Clinical study of the relationship between -synuclein and the response of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer

<sec id="sec11-0300060513484434">Objectives To investigate relationships between several protein biomarkers and clinical responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer. <sec id="sec12-0300060513484434">Methods Tumour tissue samples from female patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma (stages IIA to IIIC), treated with NAC regimens (including 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide and docetaxel, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide) were analysed retrospectively. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to test for protein levels of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2, protein 53 (p53) and -synuclein. Relationships between protein biomarkers and responses to NAC were analysed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. <sec id="sec13-0300060513484434">Results Data from 154 patients (median age, 51 years; range 27-75 years) were included. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that -synuclein was an independent predictor of NAC objective response rate, and a statistically significant relationship was observed between NAC regimen, -synuclein levels and pathological complete response rate. <sec id="sec14-0300060513484434">Conclusions These study findings suggest that -synuclein - in combination with other markers such as ER, PR and HER-2 - may serve as a biomarker for response to NAC in breast cancer and warrants further study.