Open AccessImmunohistochemical Study on Overexpression of c‐ erb B‐2 Protein in Human Breast Cancer: Its Correlation with Gene Amplification and Long‐term Survival of Patients
Author(s) -
Tsuda Hitoshi,
Hirohashi Setsuo,
Shimosato Yukio,
Tanaka Yuko,
Hirota Teruyuki,
Tsugane Shoichiro,
Shiraishi Masato,
Toyoshima Kumao,
Yamamoto Tadashi,
Terada Masaaki,
Sugimura Takashi
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
japanese journal of cancer research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 0910-5050
DOI - 10.1111/j.1349-7006.1990.tb02571.x
Subject(s) - immunohistochemistry , breast cancer , biology , oncogene , mammary gland , pathology , polyclonal antibodies , gene duplication , staining , cancer , gene product , antibody , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , cancer research , gene , medicine , immunology , genetics , cell cycle
Using a polyclonal antibody monospecific to the c‐ erb B‐2 oncogene product, an immunohistochemical study on the expression of c‐ erb B‐2 protein was performed in formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded tissue sections from 176 primary breast carcinomas in which amplification of the c‐ erb B‐2 gene had been detected in 28 cases. Expression of the c‐ erb B‐2 protein was detected in 44 cases (25%), being strongly positive in 27 (15%) and weakly positive in 17 (10%). All cases with amplification of c‐ erb B‐2 showed positive staining of its protein. There were only four cases in which c‐ erb B‐2 was strongly expressed without amplification of the gene. In the group showing strongly positive staining, both overall and disease‐free survival were significantly poorer than in the remainder of the cases. Using Cox's regression model analysis, overexpression of c‐ erb B‐2 protein was demonstrated to be an effective prognostic factor independent of nodal status or tumor size.