Evaluation of predictive factors affecting axillary response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in node-positive locally advanced breast cancers.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer of women in the world and in Turkey, Stage 2B (T2N1; T3N0) and Stage III breast cancer are considered locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). The risk of bothlocal-regional and systemic recurrence is higher in LABC. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy reduces the stage of the tumor, provides operability, the chance of BCS (breast-conservingsurgery) and protection of the axilla. We conducted this study to predict which patient groups would benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy. For this purpose, patients who were diagnosed with no de-positive locally advanced breast cancer and operated on after neoadjuvant treatment, which was performed at Aydın Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, General Surgery Department, between January 2019 and October 2023, were retrospectively examined. The demographic and preoperative clinicopathological characteristics of these patients and the postoperative tumor pathology were examined. Patients with no tumor tissue or in situ cancer in the breast were considered as having a breast response to neoadjuvant treatment, and patients with continuing invasive cancer were considered as having no breast response to neoadjuvant treatment. In patients without postoperative metastatic lymphnodes, the axilla was evaluated as having a response to neoadjuvant treatment. In patients with metastatic lymphnodes, axillary dissection was performed and the axilla was evaluated as having no response to neoadjuvant treatment. The preoperative data of the patients who received response in the breast and axilla were analyzed to find out which ones were meaningful. When we looked at the results, we found that axillary complete response was more common than breast complete response. We found that high nuclear grade and hormone negativity may be positive predictive factors in axillary response.