Comparative evaluation of the erbB2 and hormone receptor status of neighboring invasive and in situ components of ductal carcinomas of the breast

Abstract

Background

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.

Keywords

Breast erbB2 Cancer Estrogen receptor Progesterone receptor

References

Schnitt

S.J.

. The transition from ductal carcinoma in situ to invasive breast cancer: the other side of the coin. Breast Cancer Res 2009; 11: 101.

Wiechmann

, Kuerer

H.M.

. The molecular journey from ductal carcinoma in situ to invasive breast cancer. Cancer 2008; 112: 2130–42.

Skinner

K.A.

, Silverstein

M.J.

. The management of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast. Endocr Relat Cancer 2001; 8: 33–45.

Latta

E.K.

, Tjan

, Parkes

R.K.

, O'Malley

F.P.

. The role of ERBB-2/neu overexpression/amplification in the progression of ductal carcinoma in situ to invasive carcinoma of the breast. Mod Pathol. 2002; 15: 1318–25.

Hussein

M.R.

, Abd-Elwahed

S.R.

, Abdulwahed

A.R.

. Alterations of estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and c-erbB2 oncogene protein expression in ductal carcinomas of the breast. Cell Biol Int 2008; 32: 698–707.

Heldring

, Pike

, Andersson

. Estrogen receptors: how do they signal and what are their targets. Physiol Rev 2007; 87: 905–31.

Provenzano

, Hopper

J.L.

, Giles

G.G.

, Marr

, Venter

D.J.

, Armes

J.E.

. Biological markers that predict clinical recurrence in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast. Eur J Cancer 2003; 39: 622–30.

Wärnberg

, Nordgren

, Bergkvist

, Holmberg

. Tumour markers in breast carcinoma correlate with grade rather than with invasiveness. Br J Cancer 2001; 85: 869–74.

Cornfield

D.B.

, Palazzo

J.P.

, Schwartz

G.F.

. Immunohistochemical distribution of c-erbB-2 in infiltrating and in situ breast cancer. Int J Cancer 1988; 42: 842–5.

10.

Park

, Han

, Kim

H.J.

. ERBB-2 status in pure ductal carcinoma in situ and in the intraductal and invasive components of invasive ductal carcinoma determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Histopathology 2006; 48: 702–7.

11.

Tokatli

, Altaner

, Uzal

. Association of HER-2/neu overexpression with the number of involved axillary lymph nodes in hormone receptor positive breast cancer patients. Exp Oncol 2005; 27: 145–9.

12.

R Development Core Team. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. http://www.R-project.org. Accessed 20 April, 2009.

13.

Moasner

M.M.

. The oncogene ERBB-2. Its signaling and transforming functions and its role in human cancer pathogenesis. Oncogene 2007; 26: 6469–87.

14.

Castro

N.P.

, Osorio

CABT

, Torres

. Evidence that molecular changes in cells occur before morphological alterations during the progression of breast ductal carcinoma. Breast Cancer Res 2008; 10: R87.

15.

Sommerville

J.E.

, Clarke

L.A.

, Biggart

J.D.

. c-erbB-2 overexpression and histological type of in situ and invasive breast carcinoma. J Clin Pathol 1992; 45: 16–20.

16.

Iglehart

J.D.

, Kerns

B.J.

, Huper

, Marks

J.R.

. Maintenance of DNA content and erbB-2 alterations in intraductal and invasive phase of mammary cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 1995; 34: 253–63.

17.

Bose

, Lesser

M.L.

, Norton

. Immunophenotype of intraductal carcinoma. Arch Pathol Lab Med 1996; 120: 81–5.

18.

Moreno

, Lloveras

, Figueras

. Ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast: correlation between histologic classifications and biologic markers. Mod Pathol 1997; 10: 1088–92.

19.

Mack

, Kerkvliet

, Doig

. Relationship of a new histological categorization of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast with size and the immunohistochemical expression of p53, c-erb B2, bcl-2, and ki-67. Hum Pathol 1997; 28: 974–9.

20.

Meijnen

, Peterse

J.L.

, Antonini

. Immunohistochemical categorization of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast. Br J Cancer 2008; 98: 137–42.

21.

Peres

R.M.

, Derchain

S.F.

, Heinrich

J.K.

. ErbB-2 expression and hormone receptor status in areas of transition from in situ to invasive ductal breast carcinoma. Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet 2009; 31: 461–7.

22.

Kononen

, Bubendorf

, Kallioniemi

. Tissue microarrays for high-throughput molecular profiling of tumor specimens. Nat Med 1998; 4: 844–7.