Alteration in steroid hormone and Her-2/neu receptor status following neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer: Experience at a tertiary care centre in India.

<bold>Context: </bold>Use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) enables tumor reduction and conservative surgery. It is proposed in some studies that there may be an alteration in the hormonal receptor (HR) status and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2)/neu immune-expression following NACT.<bold>Aims: </bold>To study the status of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and Her-2/neu receptor before and after NACT in LABC.<bold>Materials and Methods: </bold>HR and Her-2/neu status were evaluated by immunohistochemistry on 100 core needle biopsy of primary tumors and surgical specimens after receiving NACT (NACT group); fifty patients without NACT served as non-NACT group, and discordance was compared between the two groups.<bold>Results: </bold>In the NACT group, discordance of 17%, 13%, and 11% was noted in ER, PR, and Her-2/neu status, while in non-NACT group, discordance seen in ER, PR, and Her-2/neu was 8%, 8%, and 4%, respectively.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>There was a significant alteration in ER and Her-2/neu status from the core biopsy to the treated resected tumor in the study group. As these changes may impact treatment, HR and Her-2/neu expression reanalysis in final surgical specimens is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]