title: Prognostic significance of HER-2/neu and survival of breast cancer patients attending a specialized breast clinic in Kolkata, Eastern India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The worldwide incidence of breast cancer has increased rapidly in recent years. The scenario of Eastern India is also showing the same trend. It is necessary to study the utility of HER-2/neu as a prognostic factor in breast cancer survival. However, there have not been detailed studies in this respect with the breast cancer patients of Eastern India. Thus this study was conducted.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this hospital-based study 86 breast cancer patients attending a breast clinic of a reputed institute of Eastern India and having invasive ductal carcinomas were observed for a period of 5 years after surgery. Associations between 5 years observed survival and status of ER, PR and HER-2/neu of the patients were critically evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was statistically significant association between survival pattern for 5 years and the HER-2/neu status (p=0.00001). Better survival was observed for the patients with HER-2/neu negative tumors 67(100%) compared to HER-2/neu positive tumors 7(36.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is strong interaction between survival and HER-2/neu expression of breast cancer patients. Thus the patients with HER-2/neu positive tumors need to be treated aggressively.
authors.affiliation: Breast Cancer Research Unit, Breast Service, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (IPGME and R) and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital (SSKM), Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Debarshi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jana
authors.forename: Syamsundar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mandal
authors.forename: Madhumita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.forename: Debabrata
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mitra
authors.forename: Sunit K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.forename: Diptendra Kumar
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Sarkar
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007194:India; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone