title: c-erbB-2 oncogene related to p53 expression, cell proliferation and prognosis in breast cancer.
abstract: A series of 193 archival breast cancer biopsies were analysed immunohistochemically to detect over-expression of c-erbB-2 oncoprotein. Altogether, 59/193 (31%) of the tumours were positive for c-erbB-2, the staining being located at the cell membranes with weak cytoplasmic staining in some samples. The expression of c-erbB-2 was positively correlated with a number of parameters analysed: ductal type, intraductal growth pattern, high tumour grade, density of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), DNA aneuploidy, steroid (ER, PR) receptor negativity, high S-phase fraction, high mitotic frequency, high values of nuclear factors, and accumulation of p53 protein. c-erbB-2 expression showed a weak association with a low survival probability (p = 0.07) and with a short recurrence-free survival (p = 0.1). In local tumours or in axillary lymph node positive tumours, c-erB-2 expression had no significant prognostic value. Also in multivariate analysis, c-erbB-2 expression had no independent prognostic value superior to the axillary lymph node status, tumour diameter and mitotic frequency. The results show that c-erbB-2 expression in related to several histopathological features of malignancy and cell proliferation in breast cancer, but it has no independent prognostic value better than that of the established prognostic factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lipponen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aaltomaa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Syrjänen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Syrjänen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000782:Aneuploidy; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016158:Genes, p53; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53