Table 2.
Subgroup analyses of various factors related to achieving pathologic complete response
| Category | Number of studies (references) | Summary estimate odds ratio (95% CI) | Heterogeneity, I 2 (%) |
pCR rate (95% CI) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNBC (%) | Heterogeneity, I 2 (%) | non-TNBC (%) | Heterogeneity, I 2 (%) | ||||
|
Cycles of NAC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| <4 cycles |
2 [13,25] |
5.27 (2.57, 10.79) |
0 |
19.6 (13.5, 27.6) |
0 |
4.6 (2.7, 7.8) |
0 |
| 4 cycles |
6 [15,21,28,33,34,45] |
3.51 (2.21, 5.57) |
0 |
29.2 (23.0, 26.3) |
41.4 |
15.0 (11.8, 18.8) |
35.1 |
| 6 cycles |
3 [17,27,30] |
3.10 (1.84, 5.22) |
35 |
27.6 (20.3, 36.3) |
0 |
11.0 (8.2, 14.7) |
41.3 |
| >6 cycles |
3 [8,26,29] |
2.77 (1.66, 4.61) |
41 |
36.8 (28.8, 45.6) |
33.8 |
17.8 (13.4, 23.3) |
0 |
|
Types of NAC regimen |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Anthracycline-based |
19 [1,8,9,12-14,16-18,25-34] |
3.19 (2.63, 3.88) |
7 |
26.8 (24.1, 29.6) |
39.8 |
12.1 (10.8, 13.5) |
43.2 |
| Taxane-containing |
10 [8,13,18,19,21,25,26,29],[33,45] |
3.29 (2.41, 4.48) |
0 |
30.5 (25.9, 35.5) |
38.2 |
14.9 (12.6, 17.5) |
44.8 |
| Platinum-containing |
4 [17,19,21,45] |
3.10 (1.59, 6.03) |
0 |
44.2 (30.8, 58.5) |
31.1 |
21.3 (16.3, 27.3) |
43.6 |
| Gemcitabine-containing |
2 [15,31] |
3.49 (1.42, 8.57) |
0 |
44.5 (29.3, 60.8) |
0 |
18.8 (11.2, 29.8) |
30.2 |
|
The number of drug in NAC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Two kinds of drugs |
9 [13,15,19,21,25,27,32,33],[45] |
3.89 (2.75, 5.49) |
0 |
28.7 (23.8, 34.2) |
36.3 |
12.9 (10.7, 15.5) |
46.1 |
| Three kinds of drugs |
4 [14,17,26,34] |
2.39 (1.77, 3.23) |
16 |
22.5 (18.8, 26.5) |
19.8 |
11.2 (9.5, 13.3) |
43.6 |
| Four kinds of drugs |
4 [8,9,29,31] |
4.83 (2.80, 8.35) |
0 |
45.7 (35.8, 55.9) |
0 |
15.5 (11.4, 20.6) |
0 |
|
Total treatment duration of NAC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| <12 weeks |
2 [13,25] |
5.27 (2.57, 10.79) |
0 |
19.6 (13.5, 27.6) |
35.4 |
4.6 (2.7, 7.8) |
0 |
| 12 weeks |
7 [14,15,21,28,30,33,34] |
3.42 (2.34, 4.99) |
0 |
24.9 (20.5, 29.9) |
42 |
13.3 (10.7, 16.3) |
42.6 |
| 16 weeks |
2 [19,45] |
2.88 (1.27, 6.56) |
0 |
44.2 (28.4, 61.3) |
41.4 |
24.8 (17.7, 33.7) |
46.7 |
| >16 weeks |
6 [8,17,24,26,27,29] |
3.47 (2.80, 4.30) |
7 |
37.6 (34.0, 41.2) |
25.8 |
14.7 (12.9, 16.6) |
38 |
|
NAC schedules |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Conventional chemotherapy |
8 [13-15,17,21,25,27,45] |
4.40 (3.02, 6.42) |
0 |
24.1 (19.8, 29.0) |
35.6 |
9.7 (7.7, 12.1) |
44.5 |
| Sequential chemotherapy | 4 [8,26,29,31] | 2.96 (1.85, 4.72) | 20 | 37.4 (30.0, 45.5) | 22.5 | 17.2 (13.2, 22.1) | 0 |
CI, confidence interval; NAC, neoadjuvant chemotherapy; pCR, pathologic complete response; TNBC, triple-negative breast cancer.