Utility of human epidermal growth factor 2 heterogeneity as a prognostic factor in triple-negative breast cancer

AbstractIn some cases of human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer, including triple-negative breast cancer, HER2 expression is sporadically and strongly upregulated, a condition known asHER2 heterogeneity. We investigated the clinicopathological features of patients withHER2 heterogeneity in triple-negative breast cancers treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Thirty-nine patients with triple-negative breast cancer who had undergone preoperative chemotherapy participated in this study. To assess forHER2 heterogeneity, we used dual in situ hybridization slides. We evaluated the association betweenHER2 heterogeneity and clinicopathological factors such as rates of pathologic complete response (pCR) and of recurrence-free survival. Of the 39 patients, 15 (38.5%) had cancers withHER2 heterogeneity. The pCR rates were 13.3% among patients withHER2 heterogeneity and 20.8% among those withHER2 nonheterogeneity, but the difference was not significant. The recurrence-free survival rate was significantly lower in patients withHER2 heterogeneity than in those without (P = 0.025).HER2 heterogeneity is a significant predictor of poor prognosis in patients with triple-negative breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Source: Medical Molecular Morphology - Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research