There have been varying findings on racial disparities in achieving pathologic complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in breast cancer. Researchers of a recent cohort study analyzed 690 patients who were diagnosed between 2002 and 2020 from the ongoing Chicago Multiethnic Epidemiologic Breast Cancer Cohort. Greater than 75% of the patients had grade 3 disease. The mean age of the patients was 50.1 years. Of 355 patients who were White, 36.6% achieved pCR vs 28.6% of 269 Black patients who achieved pCR. Considerably worse overall survival was linked to not achieving pCR. Black patients with the hormone receptor-negative/ERBB2+ subtype were shown to have considerably lower chances of achieving pCR compared with White patients with this subtype. Disparities in survival and racial disparities in NACT responses were seen in this group of patients with breast cancer, with differences in various subtypes of breast cancer.

Reference: Zhao F, Miyashita M, Hattori M, et al. Racial Disparities in Pathological Complete Response Among Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(3):e233329. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.3329

Link: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2802897