Her-2/neu gene amplification
in familial breast cancer predicts worse outcome
(Breast Cancer-January 19,
2004)
According to a study from
Spain, "We compared the incidence of Her-2/neu amplification in patients
with and without a family history of breast cancer and correlated gene
status with clinicobiologic and prognostic features in sporadic and familial
cases.
Of 108 patients, 28.7% had gene amplification. Among 96 cases with family
history information available, 28 had an affected first-degree relative. The
gene was amplified more frequently in familial than in sporadic cases
(13,128 [46%] vs. 14,168 [21%]; p=.01)," wrote A.B. Espinosa and colleagues,
Cancer Investigation Center, Paseo University Coimbra.
"Among familial cases, amplification was associated with adverse
clinicobiologic features (poorly differentiated tumors
(p=.05), larger
tumors (p=.05), more lymph nodes involved (p =.04), and DNA aneuploid
(p=.02), highly proliferative tumors (p=.005)), and relapse (p=.02) and
disease-related death (p =.05) rates were higher than in cases without
amplification," the researchers wrote.
"Among sporadic cases, amplification was not associated with significantly
different disease features, except for a higher incidence of DNA aneuploid
tumors (p= 01), percentage of S-phase tumor cells (p=.006), and lower
proportion of estrogen (p=.001) and progesterone (p =.002) receptors," the
researchers stated.
The researchers concluded: "Her-2/neu amplification was observed more
frequently among patients with a family history of breast cancer, in whom it
was associated with adverse clinicobiologic features and a worse clinical
outcome."
Espinosa and colleagues published their study in American Journal of
Clinical Pathology (Her-2/neu gene amplification in familial vs. sporadic
breast cancer - Impact on the behavior of the disease. Am J Clin Pathol,
2003;120(6):917-927).
For more information, contact A. Orfao, Cancer Investigation Center, Paseo
University Coimbra S-N, Salamanca 37007, Spain.
The information in this article comes under the major subject areas of
Oncology. This article was prepared by Health & Medicine Week editors from
staff and other reports.
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Medicine Week via NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net
