During median follow-up, 83 (20.5%) patients had events; EFS differed significantly across Hb tertiles (log-rank P < 0.001).<h4>Conclusion</h4>Baseline Hb demonstrates a significant linear positive correlation with pCR and EFS, supporting its potential as a simple, low-cost biomarker for predicting NAT benefit in breast cancer patients. The gene discussed is GSTM1; the disease is breast cancer.