Age related association of Her-2/neu with prognostic markers in female breast carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To determine age-related association of Her-2/neu expression with histological and immunohistochemical prognostic markers in female breast carcinoma.


METHODS
Cross sectional, observational study.


METHODS
Department of Histopathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, from January 2004 to December 2007.


METHODS
Patients of primary operable female breast carcinoma were categorised as < 40 years (pre-menopausal), 41-50 years (peri-menopausal) and > 50 years (post-menopausal) age groups. Histological type, tumour size, tumour grade and lymph node status were determined while estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and Her-2/neu expression were evaluated immunohistochemically. Association of Her-2/neu with histological and immnuohistochemical prognostic markers was determined in pre-menopausal, peri-menopausal and post- menopausal age groups using the x2 test for uni- and multivariate analysis.


RESULTS
Out of the 722 patients, 230 (31.9%) were in pre-menopausal, 221 (30.6%) in peri-menopausal and 271 (37.5%) in post-menopausal age group. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma was the pre-dominant subtype in all the age groups. Mean tumour size was 4.3+/-2.3 cm (range 0.4-17 cm) and lymph node metastasis was seen in 310 (70.8%) cases. Her-2/neu showed association with ER in the all the age groups while PR only showed association in the peri-menopausal and postmenopausal women. Her-2/neu showed no association with tumour size, tumor grade and lymph node metastases in pre-menopausal and peri-menopausal women while it showed positive association with tumour size and lymph node metastasis in the post-menopausal women (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Majority (62%) patients were under 50 years as against the Western epidemiology. Association of Her-2/neu with ER, PR, tumour size and lymph node metastasis was age related as pre-menopausal, peri-menopausal and postmenopausal had variable expression of these prognostic markers with therapeutic and prognostic implications.
Sharif
Muhammad Ashraf
MA
Department of Histopathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi. ashrafof@gmail.com
Mamoon
Nadira
N
Mushtaq
Sajid
S
Khadim
Muhammad Tahir
MT
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases