Correlation Between Expression Of TAU And The Sensitivity To Taxane-based Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy In Primary Breast Cancer.

ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation of tau protein expression with the sensitivity to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in primary breast cancer, and this study aimed to provide new ideas and new strategies for breast cancer individual chemotherapy.Methods113 patients were recruited for the study from the Cancer Center of Guangdong General Hospital, all patients who were diagnosed with histologically confirmed primary breast cancer. All patients underwent breast surgery after at least two cycles of taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and all surgical specimen were measured by histopathologic study, the complete eradication of all invasive cancer from the breast and axillary lymph nodes after preoperative chemotherapy was considered pathologic complete response(pCR).The group of patients who have pCR was considerded sensitive to taxane. The expressions of tau protein in 113 patients with primary breast cancer which were treated with taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy were detected by the immunohistochemical staining, and the results were analysed for the correlation to chemo-sensitivity of taxane.ResultsThe positive expression rates of tau protein were 32.88%(24/73) in ER positive group, 10.00%(4/40) in ER negative group, respectibely,χ~2=7.256,P=0.007. There was a significant difference in the expressions of tau protein between ER positive and negative cancer groups. The positive expression rates of tau protein were 35.71%(20/56) in PR positive group, 14.40%(8/57) in PR negative group, respectibely,χ~2=7.123 , P=0.008. There was a significant difference in the expressions of tau protein between PR positive and negative cancer groups. The positive expression of tau protein did not collelate with patient age, tumor side, nodal status, histologic grade or HER-2 expression. There were not statistically significant (P>0.05).The positive expression rate of tau protein was 24.78%(28/113) in primary breast cancer tissues. After treatment by taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 40 patients had pathologic complete response and 73 patients were residual cancer. The positive expression rates of tau protein were 12.50%(5/40) in pCR group, 31.51%(23/73) in residual cancer group, respectibely,χ~2=5.008,P=0.025. There was a significant difference in the expressions of tau protein between pCR and residual cancer groups.ConclusionsThere were significantly positive correlation between the positive expression of tau protein and the positive expression of ER, PR receptor. The tau positive expression was more frequent among ER-positive cancers. The tau protein expression did not collelate with patient age, tumor side, node status, histologic grade or HER-2 expression.The tau protein expression is negatively related to the sensitivity of primary breast cancer to taxane. Primary breast cancer with negative expression of tau protein is prone to achieve pCR to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy than those with positive expression of tau protein. Tau protein expression status may be a useful predictor of sensitivity to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in primary breast cancer.