Duration of Symptoms Predicts Molecular Subtype in Breast Cancer: A Prospective Study from North India Establishing a Clinical Surrogate for Immunohistochemical Classification
Abstract: Purpose: Molecular subtyping of breast cancer by immunohistochemistry (IHC) is often unavailable or unaffordable at the point of first contact in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which is disproportionately prevalent in Indian populations and concentrated in younger women, carries the worst prognosis and requires urgent therapeutic intervention. We investigated whether duration of symptoms at presentation- a zero-cost clinical parameter- predicts IHC-based molecular subtype and can serve as a surrogate for triaging aggressive disease. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study enrolled 180 consecutive female breast carcinoma patients at a government tertiary centre in North India (September 2024-September 2025). IHC for ER, PR, HER2/Neu, and Ki-67 was performed on formalin-fixed tissue from TruCut biopsy or surgical specimens. Molecular subtypes were assigned per St. Gallen 2013 criteria. Duration of symptoms was correlated with IHC markers using chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, and Spearman tests. ROC analysis evaluated Ki-67 as a predictor of ER negativity. Kaplan-Meier and life table analyses assessed event-free survival (EFS). Results: Duration showed the strongest correlation with molecular subtype (??=224.56, p9 months were Luminal A. Duration inversely correlated with Ki-67 (Spearman ρ=-0.840, p
Keywords: Breast cancer, Duration of symptoms, Molecular subtypes, Ki-67, Triple-negative breast cancer, Tumour growth kinetics, India, Resource-limited settings
How to Cite?: Geetika Anand, Ashish Kumar Chaudhary, Chayanika Kala, Vikash Katiar, Jitendra Kumar Verma, Prerna Minz, "Duration of Symptoms Predicts Molecular Subtype in Breast Cancer: A Prospective Study from North India Establishing a Clinical Surrogate for Immunohistochemical Classification", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 253-258, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR261001121330, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR261001121330