The predictive value of EGFR and HER-2/neu in tumor tissue and serum for response to anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer.
We investigated the predictive value of HER-2/neu and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in tumor tissue and prechemotherapy serum for histopathologic response in 108 patients with breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Response to chemotherapy, assessed by histopathologic classification of regression (grade 0 [no therapy effect] to 4 [no residual tumor]), correlated significantly with prechemotherapy serum HER-2/neu levels. Median prechemotherapy serum HER-2/neu levels were significantly higher in patients with regression grades 1 through 4 compared with those in patients with regression grade 0 (9.6 vs 8.55 ng/mL; P = .011; 95% confidence interval [CI], .009-.014). Median pretreatment serum HER-2/neu levels of patients with complete pathologic response (pCR) were significantly higher than in patients with moderate or no treatment response (10.95 vs 9.1 ng/mL; P = .041; 95% CI, .036-.046). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed a serum HER-2/neu value of more than 10.3 ng/mL to predict a pCR with 80% sensitivity and 69.4% specificity. There was no significant correlation of response with HER-2/neu and EGFR scores in tumor tissue or with serum EGFR levels. Results demonstrate prechemotherapy serum HER-2/neu to be a significant predictor of response to neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Schippinger
Walter
W
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Dandachi
Nadia
N
Regitnig
Peter
P
Hofmann
Günter
G
Balic
Marija
M
Neumann
Rainer
R
Samonigg
Hellmut
H
Bauernhofer
Thomas
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D012372:ROC Curve; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018943:Anthracyclines; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C512478:EGFR protein, human; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human