Gene Expression Profiling of Metastatic Breast Cancer Predict the Therapeutic Response to Chemotherapy

• Time to disease progression [ Time Frame: six months ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  Time to disease progression is measured from the date therapy is initiated to the date of documented disease progression.
• Overall survival [ Time Frame: one year ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  Overall survival is measured from the date therapy is initiated to the date of death or final follow-up.
• clinical benefit response [ Time Frame: six months to one year ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  clinical benefit response include CR,PR,SD

• Time to disease progression [ Time Frame: Time to disease progression is measured from the date therapy is initiated to the date of documented disease progression. ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
• Overall survival [ Time Frame: Overall survival is measured from the date therapy is initiated to the date of death or final follow-up. ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]

The investigators want to develop a gene expression profile the for prediction the chemotherapeutic response of patients with metastatic breast cancer.

1. Metastatic breast cancer tissue is obtained from core needle biopsies pretreatment and is flash frozen and stored at -70℃ until processing.
2. After patients received docetaxel combination thiotepa for two cycles, response is assessed using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor Group (RECIST) guidelines. Degree of response is used to divide the cancers into two groups—sensitive and resistant tumours.
3. The gene expression in metastatic breast cancer tissue sample is detected by microarray to screen gene markers that are differently expressed between groups
4. Statistical analysis is performed using unsupervised hierarchical cluster.

female patients with metastatic breast cancer treated by Docetaxel-based chemotherapy

• Breast Neoplasms
• Neoplasm Metastasis

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients should be histologically confirmed with metastatic breast cancer;
• Patients who had completed the planned chemotherapy regimen with no major protocol violation;
• an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-2;
• At least one measurable lesion;
• Normal cardiac, hepatic, renal and bone marrow functions;
• Life expectancy ≥3 months;
• Discontinuity of previous chemotherapy for a minimum of 4 weeks.

Exclusion Criteria:

• previous history of other malignancies;
• previous surgery history on the needle biopsy organ;
• Central nervous system metastases;
• Serious or uncontrolled concurrent medical illness.