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Van Bockstal MR, Dano H, Benhaddi N, Dubois D, Vanderveken J, Van Marcke C, Vandermeulen A, Duhoux FP, Vernaeve H, Berlière M, Galant C. Predictive markers for pathological complete response (pCR) after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-positive breast carcinoma. Histol Histopathol 2024; 39:153-164. [PMID: 37204204 DOI: 10.14670/hh-18-626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Patients with HER2-positive invasive breast cancer that is node-positive and/or larger than 3 cm are generally treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). We aimed to identify predictive markers for pathological complete response (pCR) after NAC in HER2-positive breast carcinoma. METHODS Hematoxylin/eosin-stained slides of 43 HER2-positive breast carcinoma biopsies were histopathologically reviewed. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on pre-NAC biopsies, comprising HER2, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), Ki-67, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), mucin-4 (MUC4), p53 and p63. Dual-probe HER2 in situ hybridization (ISH) was performed to study the mean HER2 and CEP17 copy numbers. ISH and IHC data were retrospectively collected for a validation cohort, comprising 33 patients. RESULTS Younger age at diagnosis, 3+ HER2 IHC scores, high mean HER2 copy numbers and high mean HER2/CEP17 ratios were significantly associated with an increased chance of achieving a pCR, and the latter two associations were confirmed in the validation cohort. No other immunohistochemical or histopathological markers were associated with pCR. CONCLUSIONS This retrospective study of two community-based NAC-treated HER2-positive breast cancer patient cohorts identified high mean HER2 copy numbers as a strong predictor for pCR. Further studies on larger cohorts are required to determine a precise cut-point for this predictive marker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mieke R Van Bockstal
- Department of Pathology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Universitá Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
- Pôle de Morphologie (MORF), Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hélène Dano
- Department of Pathology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Naima Benhaddi
- Department of Pathology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Dominique Dubois
- Department of Pathology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jonathan Vanderveken
- Department of Pathology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Cédric Van Marcke
- Pôle D'imagerie Moléculaire, Radiothérapie et Oncologie (MIRO), Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Medical Oncology, King Albert II Cancer Institute, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ad Vandermeulen
- Breast Clinic, King Albert II Cancer Institute, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Radiation Oncology, King Albert II Cancer Institute, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Francois P Duhoux
- Pôle D'imagerie Moléculaire, Radiothérapie et Oncologie (MIRO), Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Medical Oncology, King Albert II Cancer Institute, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Martine Berlière
- Breast Clinic, King Albert II Cancer Institute, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
- Pôle de Gynécologie (GYNE), Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Christine Galant
- Pôle de Morphologie (MORF), Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Pathology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
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