title: Her2 expression and gene amplification is rarely detectable in patients with oral squamous cell carcinomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Her2 (ErbB2) transforms cells when overexpressed and is an important therapeutic target in breast cancer. Contrary to breast cancer, studies on Her2 overexpression and gene amplification in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region described largely different results. This study was undertaken to learn more on the prevalence and clinical significance of HER2 amplification and overexpression in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck.
  
  
  METHODS
  Her2 expression and gene amplification was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on two tissue microarrays composed of 427 squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region and 222 oral squamous cell carcinomas. Results were compared with clinicopathological features.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Her2 expression and gene amplification was rarely detectable in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region and unrelated to tumor phenotype or survival of the patients with oral squamous carcinoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrate that Her2 protein and gene amplification was only detectable in a small subset of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region as well as oral squamous cell carcinomas. However, it can be speculated that those few patients with Her2 overexpressing and gene amplificated tumors may possibly benefit from an anti-Her2 therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hanken
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gaudin
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gröbe
authors.forename: Meike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fraederich
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Eichhorn
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smeets
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sauter
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grupp
authors.forename: Jacob R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Izbicki
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sehner
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heiland
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blessmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005784:Gene Amplification / Q000235:genetics*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009060:Mouth Floor / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D010641:Phenotype; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D015996:Survival Rate; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human
keywords: Her2; fluorescence in situ hybridization; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; immunohistochemistry; oral squamous cell carcinomas