Lack of ErbB-2 oncogene product overexpression in soft tissue sarcomas.
The c-erbB-2 gene and its products (also designated HER-2 and c-neu) encode for a 185-kd transmembrane glycoprotein with intracellular tyrosine kinase activity. c-erbB-2 belongs to the epidermal growth factor receptor family, of which there are four known members, and has molecular homology to the epidermal growth factor receptor. It seems that this family is critical in control of growth, differentiation, and mobility of many normal and transformed epithelial cell types. We have looked for overexpression of c-erbB-2 gene product in paraffin-embedded material from 230 cases of soft tissue sarcoma, in order to establish a possible new prognostic marker and a potentially new treatment option. In all the cases, irrespective of the sarcoma histological type, the immunostaining for erbB-2 was negative. Applications of erbB-2 for prognostication as well as the option of receptor targeting by trastuzumab monoclonal antibodies were aborted.
Merimsky
Ofer
O
Department of Oncology, The Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv University, Israel. merimsky@zahav.net.il
Issakov
Josephine
J
Schwartz
Ignat
I
Dadia
Shlomo
S
Kollender
Yehuda
Y
Bickels
Jacob
J
Inbar
Moshe
M
Meller
Isaac
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015854:Up-Regulation
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases