Affin Abdul Salim1
A prospective study on role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer is a prospective study which was conducted at Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore during the period August 2010 to January 2013 to evaluate the response of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced technically inoperable breast carcinoma. Study was aimed to evaluate the immediate response of locally advanced technically inoperable breast cancer to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The response to CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil) and the overall response, to assess the reduction in the tumour size and the feasibility of mastectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, to study the number of cases with clinical complete response, and to assess its pathological completeness, and to study the pathological response of breast cancer to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In this prospective study, thirty–two patients with locally advanced breast cancer were followed up before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Of the twenty seven patients on AC regime, five patients had clinical complete response (18.51%), 13 patients had partial response (48.15%) and nine patients had stasis (33.33 %). Thus, 10 patients (71.3%) had >50% reduction in the tumour size. Of the five patients on CMF regime, one had partial response (>50% reduction in the tumour size) and 4 patients had stasis (<50% reduction in the tumour size) and none had clinical complete response (CR). None of the patients in the CMF and AC regime showed increase in tumour size during treatment.
