title: Heterogeneity of ERBB2 in gastric carcinomas: a study of tissue microarray and matched primary and metastatic carcinomas.
abstract: Trastuzumab in association with systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy is a therapeutic option for patients with advanced or metastatic ERBB2+ gastric carcinoma. The status of the ERBB2 overexpression or gene amplification is an important predictive marker in gastric cancer. However, it is controversial whether the primary tumor is representative of distant metastases in terms of ERBB2 status. Quadruplicated tissue microarrays from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from 498 advanced primary gastric carcinomas and 97 matched metastatic lymph nodes were investigated by immunohistochemistry with HercepTest and silver in situ hybridization. For further comparison, another set of 41 paired primary and distant metastatic gastric carcinomas were also tested. Intratumoral heterogeneity was defined as different results between tissue microarray cores. ERBB2-positivity was observed in 52 gastric carcinomas (10%) and was not associated with recurrence of disease or survival of patients. In ERBB2-positive primary gastric carcinomas, heterogeneous ERBB2 overexpression was observed in 21/63 (33%) gastric carcinomas and heterogeneous ERBB2 gene amplification in 14/62 (23%) cases. Repeated immunohistochemistry and silver in situ hybridization in representative paraffin tumor blocks confirmed focal ERBB2 overexpression and ERBB2 gene amplification and did not change the final results. Discrepancies in ERBB2 results between primary and paired metastatic lymph nodes were observed in 11% of cases by immunohistochemistry and 7% by silver in situ hybridization. Out of the 41 paired primary and distant metastases, 5 (12%) cases were ERBB2-positive, and discrepancy was observed in one case. Intratumoral heterogeneity and discrepant ERBB2 results in primary and metastatic tumor are not uncommon in gastric carcinoma. Results of silver in situ hybridization showed less frequent heterogeneity compared with immunohistochemistry. Wherever possible, ERBB2 immunohistochemistry testing should be performed in both primary and distant metastatic sites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Yoon
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Kyeongmee
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Ingu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Do
authors.forename: Junhun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Jiyun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jeeyun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seonwoo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyoung-Mee
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tae Sung
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Won Ki
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Sung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D018734:Genes, erbB-2; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human