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Serum levels of HER‐2 neu (C‐ erb B‐2) correlate with overexpression of p185 neu in human ovarian cancer
Author(s) -
McKenzie S. J.,
Desombre K. A.,
Bast B. S.,
Hollis D. R.,
Whitaker R. S.,
Berchuck A.,
Boyer C. M.,
Bast R. C.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19930615)71:12<3942::aid-cncr2820711224>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - immunohistochemistry , her2/neu , ovarian cancer , medicine , radioimmunoassay , monoclonal antibody , cancer , immunoassay , antibody , antigen , endocrinology , pathology , immunology , breast cancer
Background . The HER‐2 neu (c‐ erb B‐2) oncogene product p185 neu is expressed by most ovarian cancers and overexpressed in approximately 30%. Methods . Sera from patients with ovarian cancer were evaluated for neu antigen using an enzyme‐linked immunoassay and for CA 125 antigen by radioimmunoassay. Tissue levels of neu from the same patients were determined by immunohistochemical staining with anti‐ neu monoclonal antibody. Results . Elevated levels (> 2050 human neu unit [HNU]/ml) of circulating neu determinants have been detected in sera from 15% of 48 patients. Of 45 patients for whom tumor tissue had been cryopreserved, overexpression of neu was found in 17 by immunohistochemical analysis; of these 17, serum neu levels were elevated in 5 (29%). Among the 28 patients with normal to moderate tissue expression of neu , only 2(7%) had elevated serum neu levels. Thus, elevated serum neu levels predicted tissue overexpression with a specificity of 93%. Serum neu levels were not related to serum levels of CA 125. Conclusion . Serum and tissue levels of neu correlate in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.