Identification of DNA methylation biomarkers for prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer [EPIC Array]

Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in triple-negative breast cancer is linked to long-term patient survival. However, response to NAC is highly variable and cannot reliably be predicted by clinical or other current methods. This study aims to address this problem by utilising the stable, yet dynamic marker known as DNA methylation. By defining the methylation differences at diagnosis in patients that achieve a pathological complete remission against those that do not respond, we can identify a marker that can potentially predict chemotherapy response and help further personalise the chemotherapy decision making in the clinic. DNA methylation microarrays were used in primary triple-negative breast cancer samples to discriminate patient response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy within the SETUP cohort.