int-2 amplification in breast cancer: association with decreased survival and relationship to amplification of c-erbB-2 and c-myc.
Amplification of the int-2 oncogene was measured in a series of breast tumours and related to amplification of the c-myc and c-erbB-2 oncogenes, histopathological features and relapse-free and overall survival. int-2 was amplified in 11%, c-myc in 20% and c-erbB-2 in 27% of the tumours assessed. int-2 amplification was associated with large tumour size (p < 0.05) and reduced relapse-free (p < 0.05) and overall (p < 0.0005) survival. c-myc amplification was associated with poor tumour differentiation (p < 0.05) but had no association with prognosis. c-erbB-2 amplification was associated with low levels of expression of oestrogen receptor mRNA (p < 0.05), poor tumour differentiation (p < 0.05) and shortened relapse-free (p < 0.0001) and overall survival (p < 0.0001). This is the first report of an association between amplification of the int-2 oncogene in breast tumours and a significantly increased risk of death from breast cancer, and suggests that int-2 may be useful for identifying breast-cancer patients having a poor prognosis.
Henry
J A
JA
University Department of Pathology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Hennessy
C
C
Levett
D L
DL
Lennard
T W
TW
Westley
B R
BR
May
F E
FE
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification / Q000235:genetics*; D016259:Genes, myc / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes / Q000235:genetics*; D016019:Survival Analysis
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm