Trimodal distribution of arylamine N-acetyltransferase 1 mRNA in breast cancer tumors: association with overall survival and drug resistance.

NAT1 mRNA can be used to segregate breast cancer patients into sub-populations that demonstrate different overall survival. Moreover, low NAT1 expression shows a distinct poor response to chemotherapy. Analysis of NAT1 expression may be useful for identifying specific individuals who would benefit from alternative therapy or drug combinations. However, additional information is required to increase the sensitivity of identifying non-responders.