Variation of the prognostic significance of HER-2 expression in breast cancer according to tumor size

Evaluation of prognostic factors and survival rates in malignant feline mammary gland neoplasms

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to investigate prognostic factors in feline mammary gland neoplasms, correlating them with overall survival (OS).

METHODS

Fifty-six primary malignant mammary gland neoplasms and 16 metastatic lymph nodes from 37 female cats were analyzed. Clinical staging, histologic type and grade, and immunohistochemistry for Ki-67, progesterone and estrogen receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER-2), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were evaluated. Follow-up was performed in order to correlate prognostic factors with OS.

RESULTS

Lymph node metastasis was found in 35% of cases. Clinical stage III, tubulopapillary carcinomas and histologic grade II cases prevailed in the study. Most neoplasms were positive for hormonal receptors, negative for HER-2 overexpression and presented VEGF overexpression. Immunoreactivity for Ki-67 (P = 0.046) and COX-2 (P = 0.007) was higher in metastases than in primary tumors. COX-2 (P = 0.089), HER-2 (P = 0.012) and histologic grade (P = 0.080) were correlated with OS.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The data suggest that inhibition of ovarian hormones and COX-2 may represent a therapeutic option for malignant feline mammary gland neoplasms. When evaluating disease progression, COX-2 scores and Ki-67 index should be analyzed in primary tumors and metastases. Histologic grade, HER-2 status and COX-2 scores were found to have a direct influence on OS. Prognostic factors allow for a better understanding of disease outcome in a condition that is characterized by a poor prognosis. The present work highlights the need for further studies on endocrine therapy and COX-2 inhibitors, which could influence OS.

Do Saudi nurses in primary health care centres have breast cancer knowledge to promote breast cancer awareness?

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among cancer patients in Saudi Arabia. It is known that nurses play a key role in promoting breast cancer awareness among women in any society. Nurses in primary health care centres (PHCC) have more direct contact with general population. This study aimed to investigate nurse knowledge of breast cancer and practice of early screening in PHCC in Jeddah city.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire to assess the general knowledge of breast cancer, risk factors, and practice of 210 PHCC nurses. Data were analysed using SPSS v.16.

RESULTS

The mean age of the PHCC Nurses was 36.9 (SD ±8.6). Only 11% percent scored <50% of the total score for general epidemiological knowledge on breast cancer, about 35% scored <50% of the total score for breast cancer risk factors. Sixty seven percent scored >75% of the total score on breast cancer signs. Majority of nurses 62.8% practiced BSE, but only 4% practiced regularly every month. Some 28% practiced once per year. About 81% of the nurses had not had a clinical breast examination and only 14% had had a mammography. The results of the study failed to show any correlation between the knowledge scores with age, education, year of experience, family history of BC and marital status of the nurses.

CONCLUSION

The results from the study reflect that there is a need to provide continuing nursing education programmes for PHCC nurses to improve their breast cancer knowledge and practice.

Biological markers and response to neoadjuvant taxane-based chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer

Introduction. Biological markers as Her2/neu, p53, and hormonal receptors (HmRs) may be reliable parameters for prognostic assessment of patients of locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). This work aims at assessing the potential value of these biological markers for the prediction of disease outcome after neoadjuvant taxane-based chemotherapy and its implication on the surgical role. Patients and Methods. From March 2006 to September 2011, 95 patients with LABC were treated by neoadjuvant taxane-based chemotherapy given at intervals of 3 weeks. Expression of Her2/neu and p53 was examined in the initial tissue biopsy by using ELISA technique. Status of HmRs was determined using a commercial enzyme immunoassay. Three weeks after the third cycle, patients underwent surgical resection followed by 3 more cycles of taxane-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy as an adjuvant therapy. Relations of Her2/neu overexpression to p53, HmRs, and conventional prognostic factors were analyzed. Results. Median followup was 61 months. The 5-year DFS and OAS rates were significantly higher in patients with positive HmRs than in those with negative HmRs, patients with Her2- than those with Her2+ breast cancer, and patients with intact p53 breast cancer than those with inactive p53. HER-2 overexpression was statistically significant associated with loss of HmR positive immunostaining (P < 0.0001), grade III breast cancer (P < 0.0001), advanced nodal status (P = 0.0039), and younger (<50 years) age (P = 0.0108). Conclusion. Her2/neu overexpression was associated with poor DFS and OAS rates, as it was significantly associated with negative HmR and high grade.

Prevalence and prognostic role of triple-negative breast cancer by race: a surveillance study

INTRODUCTION

Emerging research suggests a substantially greater prevalence of the adverse triple-negative (TN) subtype (human epidermal growth factor receptor [HER]2(-), estrogen receptor [ER](-), and progesterone receptor [PR])(-)) among black patients with breast cancer. No reports however have been generated from a statewide cancer registry.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study consisted of all black patients (N = 643) and a random sample of white patients (n = 719) diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer (2000-2003) listed in the National Cancer Institute-Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (NCI-SEER) Connecticut Tumor Registry (CTR). HER2 status was obtained from pathology reports submitted to the registry. Remaining data were obtained from the registry database.

RESULTS

TN tumors were more prevalent in black compared with white patients (30.8% vs. 11.2%, respectively; P < .001.) There was a 2-fold greater frequency of ER(-) and PR(-) phenotypes among black patients, but HER2 status did not differ by race. Patients with lobular cancer were less likely to have TN breast cancer compared with patients with ductal tumors (odds ratio [OR] = 0.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.10-0.58). Among patients with regional disease, black patients exhibited increased risk of death (relative risk [RR] = 2.71; 95% CI, 1.48-4.97) independent of TN status. No survival disparity was found among patients with local disease.

DISCUSSION

These registry-based data corroborate reports that TN breast cancer varies substantially by race and histologic subtype. A survival disparity among patients with advanced disease, but not local disease, casts some doubt on TN status as an explanation for differences.

CONCLUSION

More research is warranted to understand why black patients with advanced breast cancer may be at increased risk for death whether or not their tumors express the TN phenotype.

Her-2 prognostic value in very early-stage breast cancer: a single-institution retrospective analysis

To evaluate overall survival, distant metastases-free survival and local relapse-free survival rates in a subgroup of patients affected by breast cancer expressing Her-2/neu. Data of 195 women affected by very early-stage breast cancer (pT1a-b pN0) who underwent whole breast radiotherapy after conservative surgery with or without chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy between January 2000 and December 2006 were evaluated. Chi-square test was used to compare the distribution of variables (age, tumour histology, oestrogens and progesterone receptors, tumour grading and adjuvant chemotherapy) between Her-2-positive and Her-2-negative patients. Survival rates were analysed with Kaplan-Meier curves; impact of variables on poor outcome was evaluated with Cox regression method. Median follow-up time was 63.5 months (range 13.8-113.6). Her-2/neu-positive patients (32/16.4%), compared to Her-2/neu-negative patients (163/83.6%), were younger (P = 0.0001), were affected by ductal infiltrating carcinoma (P = 0.039), had negative oestrogens receptors (P = 0.0001) and were not treated with chemotherapy (P = 0.001). Her-2-positive patients had lower overall survival (P = 0.00001) and lower distant metastases-free survival (P = 0.00001) compared to Her-2-negative patients, but no difference in local relapse-free survival was found between the two groups (P = 0.28). After multivariate analysis, Her-2-positive status was a prognostic factor for overall survival (P = 0.00001) and for distant metastases-free survival (P = 0.0001), but not for local relapse-free survival (P = 0.97). Her-2-positive patients have lower overall survival and distant metastases-free survival when compared to Her-2 negative patients but similar local relapse-free survival rates. These patients could be treated with conservative surgery, if feasible, but should receive more aggressive and tailored systemic adjuvant therapies.

Tissue microarray-based study of patients with lymph node-negative breast cancer shows that HER2/neu overexpression is an important predictive marker of poor prognosis

BACKGROUND

Despite good prognosis in most cases of lymph node (LN)-negative breast cancer, individual patients may have markedly different clinical outcomes. Here, we investigated the prognostic significance of HER2/neu overexpression in these tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We employed a tissue microarray to examine HER2/neu overexpression by immunohistochemical staining in 359 consecutive patients diagnosed with LN-negative breast cancer, who underwent surgery from January 1993 to December 1998.

RESULTS

HER2/neu overexpression was detected in 81 of 359 (23.1%) patients. The 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) values (81.2% versus 61.8%, P value 0.000) and overall survival (OS) rates (85.7% versus 63.9%, P value 0.000) were significantly different between cases with HER2/neu-negative or HER2/neu-positive tumors. After multivariate analysis, HER2/neu status and tumor size were identified as independent prognostic factors for 10-year OS. Moreover, HER2/neu overexpression was significantly associated with poorer clinical outcomes in an intermediate-risk group identified by the St Gallen classification (10-year DFS, 79.6% versus 61.8%, P value 0.000; 10-year OS, 84.7% versus 63.9%, P value 0.000).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that HER2/neu overexpression is an important independent prognostic factor for LN-negative breast cancer cases and support the theory that more intensive adjuvant chemotherapy is required in the population with HER2/neu overexpression.

HER-2/neu in breast cancer: a comparative study between histology, immunohistochemistry, and molecular technique (FISH)

HER-2/neu is a protooncogene frequently overexpressed in breast cancer. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a technique targeting the gene amplification, while immunohisto-chemistry detects the protein expression. Usually both are applied to paraffin-embedded tissue. The authors studied HER-2 by FISH and immunohistochemistry (HercepTest) in 81 breast carcinomas. The results showed an overall concordance (correlation coefficient 0.64). In all cases with HercepTest score 0 and 1+, nonamplification of the gene was observed. Gene amplification was found in 20% of cases with a 2+ score and in 77.78% of cases with a 3+ score. Data described in literature for 3+ carcinomas showed a 3% to 10% discrepancy between protein expression and gene amplification, while in this study this difference was up to 22.22%. As a consequence, even if it is usually considered important to analyze only 2+ cases by FISH, 3+ scores nonamplified for HER-2/neu may be a new, interesting subset. Furthermore, the authors investigated the two-variables correlation between chromosome 17 copy number, protein over-expression, gene amplification, and presence of metastatic lymph nodes. Interesting results came from the correlation between the HercepTest score and the HER-2/neu gene amplification evaluation, HercepTest and chromosome 17 aneusomy, and gene amplification and lymph nodes status. In conclusion, the FISH technique can be an important and useful diagnostic tool to integrate the results of the HercepTest and to select patients for immunotherapy.

A combination of HER-2 status and the St. Gallen classification provides useful information on prognosis in lymph node-negative breast carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with lymph node-negative breast carcinoma is being recommended currently based on the St. Gallen classification. The prognostic importance of HER-2 status in patients with lymph node-negative breast carcinoma has been investigated extensively, with contradictory results. The authors investigated the clinical relevance of HER-2 overexpression when combined with the St. Gallen classification in lymph node-negative breast carcinoma.

METHODS

The medical records of patients with breast carcinoma negative for lymph node involvement who underwent surgery between January 1995 and December 2000 at the Seoul National University College of Medicine (Seoul, Korea) were reviewed retrospectively. Risk groups based on the St. Gallen classification were categorized as average or minimal risk. The prognostic values of HER-2 in combination with the St. Gallen classification were analyzed with respect to disease-free survival (DFS) rates.

RESULTS

A total of 906 patients were eligible for analysis. The overall 7-year DFS rate was 87.5%. The 7-year DFS rates for patients with HER-2-positive and HER-2-negative tumors were, respectively, 77.9% and 91.2% (P = 0.002). The 7-year DFS rates for patients with average and minimal risk group were 85.0% and 97.9%, respectively. The authors found that HER-2 overexpression significantly predicted the risk of disease recurrence (odds ratio = 3.03 [95% confidence interval, 1.63-5.63]). Furthermore, when HER-2 status was combined with the St. Gallen classification, the DFS rate of the HER-2-positive average risk group was 73.3% compared with 88.4% for the HER-2-negative average risk group (P = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of HER-2 overexpression and the St. Gallen classification was more useful than either alone to predict the risk of disease recurrence in patients with lymph node-negative breast carcinoma.