Journal List > J Korean Breast Cancer Soc > v.6(4) > 1076698

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Choi, Lee, Ahn, Lee, Shin, Carter, King, and Haffty: Characteristics of HER-2/neu Oncogene in Korean Women with Early-onset Breast Cancer by Immunohistochemistry and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization
Original Article
Journal of Korean Breast Cancer Society

Journal of Korean Breast Cancer Society 2003; 6(4): 255-262.

Published online: 31 December 2003

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4048/jkbcs.2003.6.4.255

Characteristics of HER-2/neu Oncogene in Korean Women with Early-onset Breast Cancer by Immunohistochemistry and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

Doo Ho Choi, Min Hyuk Lee1, Yong Hee Ahn1, Dong Wha Lee2, Dong Bok Shin3, Darryl Carter4, Bonnie L. King, Bruce G. Haffty5

Department of Radiation Oncology, Soonchunhyang University, Seoul, Korea.

1Department of Surgery, Soonchunhyang University, Seoul, Korea.

2Department of Clinical Pathology, Soonchunhyang University, Seoul, Korea.

3Department of Internal Medicine, Gacheon University, Incheon, Korea.

4Department of Pathology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.

5Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.

dohochoi@hosp.sch.ac.kr

Received 2 September 2003       Accepted 5 December 2003

Copyright © 2003 Korean Breast Cancer Society

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this work was to investigate the prognostic significance of of HER-2/neu (HER-2) oncogene protein overexpression in Korean women with early-onset breast cancer by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the results of the test were correlated with HER-2 oncogene gene amplification assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

Methods

HER-2 status in 60 cases of breast cancer diagnosed at the age of 45 years or younger was investigated by a rabbit polyclonal antibody (Dako) and by applying the Hercep Test, and the results were compared with FISH analysis in all Hercep Test 2+ and 3+ specimens (28 cases) and five HER-2/neu negative specimens.

Results

FISH revealed that HER-2 was exclusively amplified in cases with Hercep Test 3+ (20/21). Cases with Hercep Test 3+ or FISH positive tumors were significantly associated with estrogen and progesterone receptor negative tumors. No association was found between HER-2 status and axillary node status. In univariate analysis, FISH status was significantly associated with poor prognosis, but Hercep Test status was not a significant prognostic factor.

Conclusion

The finding of higher positive tumors and poor prognostic factor of Her-2 in Korean women with early-onset breast cancer may have potential implication for local and systemic management of breast cancer. HER-2 test may be useful for selecting systemic chemotherapy in Korean patients with early onset breast cancer. And the specific anti-HER-2 therapy will be helpful to a large proportion of Korean patients who have more tumors with HER-2 overexpression than White patients.

Keywords: HER-2/neu, Breast cancer, FISH

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