Expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) as a predictor of poor pathologic response to chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer.

BACKGROUND NF-κB inhibits apoptosis through induction of antiapoptotic proteins and suppression of proapoptotic genes. Various chemotherapy agents induce NF-κB translocation and target gene activation. We conducted the present study to assess the predictive value of NF-κB regarding pathologic responses after receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS We enrolled 131 patients with locally advanced invasive ductal breast carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect NF-κB expression. Evaluation of pathologic response was elaborated with the Ribero classification. RESULTS Expression of NF-κB was significantly associated with poor pathological response (p=0.02). From the multivariate analysis, it was found that the positive expression of NF-κB yielded RR=1.74 (95%CI 0.77 to 3.94). CONCLUSIONS NF-κB can be used as a predictor of poor pathological response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.