Int J Biol Markers 2009; 24: 238 - 244
Comparative evaluation of the erbB2 and hormone receptor
status of neighboring invasive and in situ components of ductal
carcinomas of the breast
submitted on: 28/12/2009
Raquel Mary Rodrigues Peres,
Kátia Piton Serra,
Sophie F.M. Derchain,
Jung Hyun Yoon,
Glauce Aperecida Pinto,
Marcelo Alvarenga,
Fernando Augusto Soares,
Juliana K. Heinrich,
Isabela Werneck da Cunha,
Jose Vassallo,
Luís Otávio Sarian
AbstractBackground: It remains unknown whether erbB2 expression and hormone receptor status predict the invasive potential of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast.
Objectives: To examine erbB2 and estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) status in the precise areas where DCIS turns into invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC).
Subjects and methods: Eighty-seven cases of breast malignancies harboring contiguous regions of DCIS and IDC were selected.
Separate histological samples from the DCIS and the neighboring IDC were obtained using tissue microarrays. The erbB2 and ER/PR statuses were assessed using immunohistochemistry (erbB2 and ER/PR) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH – only erbB2).
Results: The expression of erbB2 did not differ in the DCIS and IDC components of the breast tumors (p=0.35). There was good agreement in sample-by-sample comparisons of erbB2 (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.78), PR (ICC=0.61) and ER (ICC=0.70) expression in the DCIS and IDC components.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the expressions of erbB2 and ER/PR do not differ in the contiguous regions from DCIS to IDC.