title: Relationship between c-erbB-2 and other tumor characteristics in breast cancer prognosis.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate c-erbB-2 overexpression by means of a quantitative biochemical technique in 488 primary breast cancer patients with long-term follow-up (median, 10 years) and its relation to other biochemical prognostic factors (uPA, p53, and epidermal growth factor receptor) and adjuvant therapy. High levels of c-erbB-2 (>500 IU/mg protein) were associated with estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor negativity, high histoprognostic SBR grade and high levels of uPA and p53. Univariate analyses showed shorter metastasis-free survival (MFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients whose tumors overexpressed c-erbB-2 in the overall population, in subgroups defined by ER and uPA status, and in patients with positive pathological nodal status, SBR grade II, progesterone receptor, and p53-negative tumors. Patients with ER-positive, c-erbB-2-positive tumors had a shorter MFS and OS than those patients with c-erbB-2-negative tumors. No difference was observed between adjuvant-treated and untreated patients (chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy) in the c-erbB-2-negative subgroup. There was a trend toward a longer short-term MFS in c-erbB-2-positive patients treated with chemotherapy, whereas an opposite effect was observed with hormone therapy. Cox multivariate analyses showed that high levels of c-erbB-2 negatively influenced MFS in the overall population as well as in node-positive patients and in tamoxifen-treated patients, along with pN and uPA. Results for OS were comparable with those obtained for MFS. These results suggest that c-erbB-2 overexpression in breast cancer may be a better predictor of the response to tamoxifen than is ER status alone.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Oncobiologie, Centre René Huguenin de Lutte Contre Le Cancer, Saint-Cloud, France. m.ferrero-pous@stcloud-huguenin.org
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrero-Poüs
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hacène
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouchet
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Le Doussal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tubiana-Hulin
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Spyratos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013997:Time Factors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D013629:Tamoxifen; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator