Her-2/neu amplification and breast cancer survival: results from the Shanghai breast cancer study.
Her-2/neu is a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor family that has been found to be overexpressed or amplified in approximately 20-30% of breast cancers. Negative prognosticators and a shortened survival have been shown to be associated with these changes in Her-2/neu, but previous studies have consisted of predominantly Caucasian populations. Additionally, chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) has been suggested to be a potential alternative to fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), the expensive and labor-intensive gold standard assay currently used for Her-2/neu amplification. This study evaluated breast cancer samples from 313 Chinese women participating in the Shanghai breast cancer study, of which 100 (32%) were found to have Her-2/neu amplification by either FISH or CISH methodologies. After a mean follow-up period of 6.67 years, Her-2/neu amplification was found to be significantly associated with an increased hazard of death, regardless of which assay was used to detect amplification. Patients with Her-2/neu amplification were approximately 60% more likely to die of the disease (HR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.0-2.6) than patients without amplification, even after adjusting for age, stage, menopausal status, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and tamoxifen treatment. Furthermore, the negative prognostic effect of Her-2/neu varied by cancer stage, with greater risks of death evident among later stage patients. This study supports a negative prognostic role for Her-2/neu in breast cancer survival among a Chinese population, irrespective of whether FISH or CISH is used to detect amplification of the Her-2/neu gene.
Beeghly-Fadiel
Alicia
A
Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
Kataoka
Nobuhiko
N
Shu
Xiao-Ou
XO
Cai
Qiuyin
Q
Deming
Sandra L
SL
Gao
Yu-Tang
YT
Zheng
Wei
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality*; D002681:China; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D018734:Genes, erbB-2; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008875:Middle Aged; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases