Prognostic significance of HER2 gene amplification according to stage of breast cancer.
It is well known that the amplification of the HER2 gene is closely associated with poor prognosis of breast cancer. However, there is controversy about the clinical significance of HER2 according to lymph node status in breast cancer. The aim of this study was to identify the differences in the prognostic significance of HER2 gene amplification according to the stages of breast cancer. We prepared a tissue array for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with breast cancer specimens from the surgery in 1994 to 1999. Total 338 cases of breast cancer were enrolled and the median follow-up period was 6.3 yr. The detection rates of HER2 gene amplification were as follows: 10.3% in stage I, 22.3% in stage II, and 43.8% in stage III. On survival analyses HER2-positive groups showed worse prognosis in stage III of breast cancer, but not in stage I or II. Multivariate analyses with a Cox-regression model also revealed that HER2 amplification was an independent prognostic factor only in stage III breast cancer. Regarding HER2 gene amplification as a prognostic factor of breast cancer, the clinical significance of the gene was found to be confined to advanced breast cancer.
Kim
Yong-Seok
YS
Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Won
Yong Sung
YS
Park
Kyung Shin
KS
Song
Byung Joo
BJ
Kim
Jeong Soo
JS
Oh
Se Jeong
SJ
Jeon
Hae Myung
HM
Jung
Sang Seol
SS
Park
Woo-Chan
WC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005784:Gene Amplification; D018734:Genes, erbB-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor