Monitoring Response to NAC and Prediction of pCR in Breast Cancer Patients Using Optical Imaging

In this study, an accurate, reliable, non-invasive modality with good patient tolerance will be tested to predict response to NAC in order to tailor the medical and surgical treatment. The aim of this project is to monitor the effectiveness of NAC in BC patients with a new near infrared spectroscopic imaging platform which allows to non-invasively detect changes in size, vascularization and blood oxygenation in tumors and to characterize the presence of temporal changes in regional concentrations of relevant biomarkers like oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin, water, lipid and collagen and scattering in the tissue during NAC. This optical imaging tool will allow a non-invasive, safe and relatively inexpensive monitoring of NAC and prediction of patients' outcome. A single-site, national, non-comparative, non-randomized study will be conducted at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano. The medical device is a prototype developed by Politecnico di Milano. Twenty adult women with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer and candidate for NAC, who fulfil the inclusion criteria and agree to voluntary participate in the study under informed consent, will be enrolled. Besides assessing the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy using conventional imaging evaluation (x-ray mammography and breast ultrasound prior to commencement/baseline, half way through and on completion of NAC; contrast-enhanced MRI prior to commencement/baseline and on completion of NAC), the patients enrolled will be evaluated with optical imaging at the following six selected time points (prior to commencement of NAC/baseline, 2-5 days post-NAC, 6-8 days post-NAC, 2 weeks post-NAC, half-way through and on completion of NAC). A preliminary phase will be performed on the first 5 patients out of the 20 patients enrolled, in order to evaluate the potential artefacts related to a recent breast biopsy and to the positioning of a clip. In this preliminary phase, 2 additional optical evaluations will be carried out, one prior to the breast biopsy and one after the positioning of the clip. Patients are enrolled in the study for the entire duration of NAC. No follow-up is required and patients will be followed according to the regular clinical standard of care. Moreover, the outcome of the optical investigation does not affect the treatment and management of the women enrolled in the study. The duration of enrolment of the study is expected to be approximately 12 months. The study will end when the last patient enrolled will complete her chemotherapy treatment.