Neoadjuvant Docetaxel-Carboplatin-Trastuzumab Therapy in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: A Single-Center Experience from Vietnam

To evaluate the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy and identify associated factors influencing treatment response in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. A prospective, longitudinal study of 40 women with a mean age of 50.68 ± 10.53 years diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer. All patients received neoadjuvant treatment using Docetaxel-Carboplatin-Trastuzumab (TCH) regimens. These patients were evaluated for treatment response based on the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) after six 21-day treatment cycles. The proportion of good responders was 45.0% (18/40 patients). Younger age, earlier clinical stage, and lower baseline serum CA15-3 levels were significantly associated with a better response (p < 0.05). The incidence of adverse events was also significantly lower in good responders (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified younger age and lower CA15-3 concentration as independent predictors of favorable response, with area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC) of 0.758 and 0.821, respectively (p = 0.006 and p = 0.001). Neoadjuvant treatment using the Docetaxel-Carboplatin-Trastuzumab regimen provides favorable clinical outcomes in HER2-positive breast cancer patients. Baseline CA15-3 levels may serve as a useful predictor of treatment response.