Exploring Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Predictive Models, Radiomic, and Pathological Markers in Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Review

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Breast cancer is considered as the most common malignancy among females, and its treatment takes many forms and types. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), which is the treatment precedes the surgical intervention, became the preferred treatment approach for some subtypes of breast tumors. However, some patients exhibit good response to the neoadjuvant treatment, while others do not. Therefore, the proactive prediction of patients’ response to NACT is a necessity to reduce the exposure to unnecessary doses of treatment, treatment costs, and side effects. Many researchers proposed prediction models to predict patients’ response to NACT either at early stage of treatment or prior to the initiation of the first cycle. They used various radiomics, pathological, and clinical predictors and markers. This review discusses some of the researches conducted the last decade based on statistical, machine learning, or deep learning approaches. ABSTRACT: Breast cancer retains its position as the most prevalent form of malignancy among females on a global scale. The careful selection of appropriate treatment for each patient holds paramount importance in effectively managing breast cancer. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) plays a pivotal role in the comprehensive treatment of this disease. Administering chemotherapy before surgery, NACT becomes a powerful tool in reducing tumor size, potentially enabling fewer invasive surgical procedures and even rendering initially inoperable tumors amenable to surgery. However, a significant challenge lies in the varying responses exhibited by different patients towards NACT. To address this challenge, researchers have focused on developing prediction models that can identify those who would benefit from NACT and those who would not. Such models have the potential to reduce treatment costs and contribute to a more efficient and accurate management of breast cancer. Therefore, this review has two objectives: first, to identify the most effective radiomic markers correlated with NACT response, and second, to explore whether integrating radiomic markers extracted from radiological images with pathological markers can enhance the predictive accuracy of NACT response. This review will delve into addressing these research questions and also shed light on the emerging research direction of leveraging artificial intelligence techniques for predicting NACT response, thereby shaping the future landscape of breast cancer treatment.