Immunohistochemical assay of neu/c-erbB-2 oncogene product in paraffin-embedded tissues in early breast cancer: retrospective follow-up study of 245 stage I and II cases.
The expression of neu oncoprotein was assayed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) on 245 paraffin-embedded, Stage I and II breast cancers from patients treated at the City of Hope between the years 1980 and 1987. Only cases showing membrane staining were scored as positive. Fifty-four (22%) of the tumors stained positively for neu. Probability of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was compared based on neu positivity and other prognostic factors. Overall, DFS and OS did not differ significantly among neu-positive and neu-negative cases. However, when only cases with favorable (Stages I and II) nuclear grade were analyzed, OS and DFS were significantly lower in neu-positive cases, with a 9-fold increase in risk of death and a 3-fold increase in risk of relapse. Our findings suggest that immunohistologic study of neu oncoprotein may help to define patients at greater risk among low-stage/low-nuclear-grade patients with breast cancer, a group hitherto recognized as having a good prognosis.
Division of Pathology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California.
H
H
Battifora
M
M
Gaffey
J
J
Esteban
P
P
Mehta
A
A
Bailey
C
C
Faucett
J
J
Niland
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011379:Prognosis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases