Hormone receptors do not predict the HER2/neu status in all age groups of women with an operable breast cancer.
BACKGROUND
In breast cancer, there is an inverse relationship between HER2/neu overexpression and receptors for estrogen (ER) or progesterone (PR). Some clinical observations such as the age-related association between hormone receptors and tumour grade, which predicts HER2/neu overexpression, suggest an age-related relationship.


METHODS
Our study population consisted of 1362 consecutive women receiving primary surgery for non-metastatic invasive breast cancer. We compared the relationship between both hormone receptors and HER2/neu overexpression in different age groups taking other tumour characteristics into account.


RESULTS
In a multivariate model, considering the overall group, a negative ER, a negative PR and a high tumour grade were predictive for HER2/neu overexpression (P <0.001). Considering 246 women aged < or =45 years, the only predictor for HER2/neu overexpression in this age category was a high tumour grade (P = 0.003). Considering the 1116 women aged >45 years, ER (P = 0.001), PR (P = 0.001) and tumour grade (P <0.001) were associated with HER2/neu (P <0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that the association between ER, PR and HER2/neu overexpression varies with age. The hormone receptors are not an independent predictor for the HER2/neu status in young women while they are in elder patients.
Huang
H J
HJ
Division of Gynecologic Oncology in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Levven University Hospital, Levven, Belgium.
Neven
P
P
Drijkoningen
M
M
Paridaens
R
R
Wildiers
H
H
Van Limbergen
E
E
Berteloot
P
P
Amant
F
F
Vergote
I
I
Christiaens
M R
MR
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone