Table 1.
Patient characteristics and observed pathological complete response (pCR)
| Characteristics | Number of patients | Number of pCR (%) | Chi-squared test P value | Multivariate P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 0.564 | NS | ||
| < 40 | 60 | 23 (38.3) | ||
| 40–59 | 194 | 66 (34.0) | ||
| 60+ | 49 | 14 (28.6) | ||
| Menopausal status | 0.817 | NS | ||
| Pre | 159 | 55 (34.6) | ||
| Post | 144 | 48 (33.3) | ||
| Tumor size at baseline | 0.026 | 0.030 | ||
| T2 | 150 | 62 (41.3) | ||
| T3 | 100 | 28 (28.0) | ||
| T4 | 53 | 13 (24.5) | ||
| Node status at baseline | 0.917 | NS | ||
| - | 52 | 18 (34.6) | ||
| + | 251 | 85 (33.9) | ||
| Histology at baseline | 0.263 | NS | ||
| Invasive ductal carcinoma | 224 | 82 (36.6) | ||
| Invasive (mixed) carcinoma | 62 | 17 (27.4) | ||
| Others | 17 | 4 (23.5) | ||
| Ki-67 expression at baseline | < 0.001 | 0.001 | ||
| < 20% | 107 | 22 (20.6) | ||
| ≥ 20% | 196 | 81 (41.3) | ||
| sMMP-9 at baseline (ng/ml) | 0.519 | NS* | ||
| Low (< 505.5) | 101 | 34 (33.7) | ||
| Intermediate (505.5–712.8) | 100 | 38 (38.0) | ||
| High (> 712.8) | 102 | 31 (30.4) | ||
| sMMP-9 at surgery (ng/ml) | 0.020 | 0.043* | ||
| Low (< 423.2) | 100 | 42 (42.0) | ||
| Intermediate (423.2–612.3) | 102 | 37 (36.3) | ||
| High (> 612.3) | 101 | 24 (23.8) | ||
| sMMP-9 decrease (ng/ml) | < 0.001 | 0.003* | ||
| Low (< 28.3) | 100 | 24 (24.0) | ||
| Intermediate (28.3–143.8) | 101 | 29 (28.7) | ||
| High (> 143.8) | 102 | 50 (49.0) | ||
| Clinical response | 0.172 | NS | ||
| CR/PR | 102 | 40 (39.2) | ||
| SD/PD | 201 | 63 (31.3) |
*sMMP-9 was studied in the multivariate analysis as linearly variable