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Circulating Her-2/Neu Extracellular Domain in Breast Cancer Patients-Correlation with Prognosis and Clinicopathological Parameters Including Steroid Receptor, Her-2/Neu Receptor Coexpression

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Pathology & Oncology Research

Summary

HER-2/neu extracellular domain (ECD) can be detected in blood as a soluble circulating protein. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between HER-2/neu extracellular domain in the serum and the prognosis in breast cancer patients. We also correlated HER-2/neu ECD with various clinicopathological factors including steroid receptor, HER-2/neu receptor coexpression. The serum from seventy nine patients with invasive breast cancer and twenty individuals without malignancy was analyzed using the enzyme-linked immune adsorbent assay method. The cut-off value was estimated by the ROC curve analysis (15.86 μg/L). HER-2/neu ECD values in the serum of patients with breast cancer were significantly higher than in control subjects. Circulating HER-2/neu ECD was significantly associated with the histological grade of tumors and the status of axillary lymph nodes. Negative correlation was observed between HER-2/neu ECD in the serum and estrogen receptor positivity. When we analyzed HER-2/neu ECD in relation with coexpression of steroid receptor and HER-2/neu receptor in tissue, statistically higher values were found in the subgroup of patients with steroid receptor negative, HER-2/neu negative tumors than in the other subgroups. HER-2/neu ECD was not an independent factor in the univariate and multivariate analysis. However, elevated HER-2/neu ECD levels were found in patients with breast cancer possessing more aggressive phenotype.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, Republic of Croatia (grant 108-1080058-0046).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Oncology, Division of Oncology, University Hospital Center Zagreb and Zagreb Medical School, Kišpatićeva 12, HR- 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Marina Barić, Natalija Dedić Plavetić, Marina Vidović & Damir Vrbanec

  2. Department of Pathophysiology, Division of Oncology, University Hospital Center Zagreb and Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia

    Ana Kulić, Maja Sirotković-Skerlev, Natalija Dedić Plavetić & Damir Vrbanec

  3. Clinical Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Gordana Horvatić-Herceg

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  1. Marina Barić
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  2. Ana Kulić
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Correspondence to Marina Barić.

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Barić, M., Kulić, A., Sirotković-Skerlev, M. et al. Circulating Her-2/Neu Extracellular Domain in Breast Cancer Patients-Correlation with Prognosis and Clinicopathological Parameters Including Steroid Receptor, Her-2/Neu Receptor Coexpression. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 21, 589–595 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-014-9859-6

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