ABCB1 Polymorphism and Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients from Bangladesh
Authors: Mehedi Hasan Al Amin1,2, Md. Siddiqul Islam3*
Institution: 1 Department of Pharmacy, Southeast University, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh 2 Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 100
Introduction
ABCB1 encodes P-glycoprotein, a drug efflux pump that moves many chemotherapy drugs out of cells. Variants in this gene may change how well a tumor responds to treatment. We examined whether ABCB1 genotypes are linked to response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Methods
We studied 100 breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP. We calculated odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and considered p < 0.05 significant.
Results
Of the 100 patients, 12 had the CC genotype, 56 had CT, and 32 had TT. Response rates were 33.3% (4/12) in CC, 53.6% (30/56) in CT, and 71.9% (23/32) in TT. Compared with CC, the TT genotype conferred a significant protective effect against treatment non-response (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.81, p = 0.025). The CT genotype and combined CT+TT genotypes did not reach statistical significance.
Conclusion
Patients with the ABCB1 TT genotype were more likely to respond to neoadjuvant chemotherapy than those with the CC genotype. Though larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.