Inflammation-related biomarkers as predictors of pathological complete response in early-stage breast cancer.

Abstract

Neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAT) represents an attractive option for improved outcomes of early-stage breast cancer (BC) patients, as it can significantly reduce tumor burden thus permitting breast-conserving resections. Equally important, the eradication of viable cancer cells post-NAT, also known as pathological complete response (pCR), has emerged as a strong prognostic biomarker, reflecting tumor's biology and subsequent treatment responses. Yet to date, no validated markers predictive of pCR have been identified. The present retrospective study aimed to explore the value of neutrophil-tolymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) as potential predictors of pCR. Despite no statistically significant associations have been reported, NLR and PLR dynamics during NAT, as longitudinal inflammatory phenotypes, merit further investigation in larger cohorts. In the future, the integration of a comprehensive inflammatory biomarker panel into clinical practice could assist in a priori treatment selection process.