Progesterone receptor status and Ki-67 index may predict early relapse in luminal B/HER2 negative breast cancer patients: A retrospective study

Abstract

Purpose: Few studies has documented early relapse in luminal B/HER2-negative breast cancer. We examined prognostic factors for early relapse among these patients to improve treatment decision-making. Patients and Methods: A total 398 patients with luminal B/HER2-negative breast cancer were included. Kaplan-Meier curves were applied to estimate disease-free survival and Cox regression to identify prognostic factors. Results: Progesterone receptor (PR) negative expression was associated with higher tumor grade (p 30%) had a reduced disease-free survival (DFS) when compared with low Ki-67 index group (≤ 30%) (98.0% vs 92.4%, respectively, Log-rank p = .013). In multivariate analysis, PR negativity was significantly associated with a reduced DFS (HR = 3.91, 95% CI 1.29-11.88, p = .016). Conclusion: In this study, PR negativity was a prognostic factor for early relapse in luminal B/HER2-negative breast cancer, while a high Ki-67 index suggested a higher risk of early relapse. © 2014 Zong et al.