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DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1807764
Association between TROP2 expression and clinicopathological factors, survival, and chemotherapy response in patients with early and locally advanced triple negative breast cancer
Introduction: TNBC is a subtype of breast cancer that does not express hormone receptors and HER-2 protein, making it more aggressive. TROP2 is a transmembrane protein that may be expressed in TNBC and has been associated with more aggressive tumors and worse survival outcomes.
Objectives: This study aimed to examine the expression of TROP2 in early and locally advanced TNBC, as well as its potential relationship with clinicopathological characteristics, response to neoadjuvant treatment, and survival outcomes.
Methods: This cross-sectional, retrospective study included 54 patients with TNBC Stages I, II, or III from January 2012 to December 2020. Data were collected from electronic medical records and biopsy specimens of the primary tumors. TROP2 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Ethics committee approval: 5.614.936.
Results: The average age of the patients was 51 years. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) was present in 46.2% of patients, while perineural invasion (PNI) was present in 18.5%. Regarding clinical staging at diagnosis, 50% of patients were diagnosed with Stage III, 40.7% with Stage II, and 9.2% with Stage I. When examining TROP2 expression using immunohistochemical evaluation, it was found that most cases showed membranous positivity of variable intensity throughout the tumor, with staining exclusively in tumor cells. The immunofluorescence data were subjected to a ROC curve to estimate the cutoff point, using pathological response to determine the cutoff. The defined cutoff point was >37.5. Of the 54 patients, 72.2% had low TROP2 expression, and 27.8% had high expression. Overall, 90.7% of patients showed some level of TROP2 expression. High TROP2 expression was significantly associated with LVI, tumor size, and higher staging. Additionally, among the 26 patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy, those with high TROP2 expression had a higher rate of complete pathological response.
Conclusions: TROP2 expression was associated with clinicopathological factors and contributed to a more significant response to chemotherapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
Corresponding author: Pedro Ruan Amorim de Oliveira Costa (e-mail: pedroruan@alu.ufc.br).
No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).
Publication History
Article published online:
06 May 2025
© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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Jailson de Sousa Oliveira, Lara Santana Pacheco de Sousa, Pedro Ruan Amorim de Oliveira Costa, Bianca Elen de Souza Alves, Gisely de Lima Freitas, Aurilene Gomes Cajado, Maria Perpetuo Socorro Saldanha Cunha, Mariana Lima Vale, Deysi Viviana Tenazoa Wong, Roberto César Pereira Lima-Júnior. Association between TROP2 expression and clinicopathological factors, survival, and chemotherapy response in patients with early and locally advanced triple negative breast cancer. Brazilian Journal of Oncology 2025; 21.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1807764