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Validation of a Tissue Microarray to Study Differential Protein Expression in Inflammatory and Non-Inflammatory Breast Cancer

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Abstract

Aims. Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with poor prognosis. The mechanisms responsible for the aggressive clinical evolution are incompletely understood. We constructed a tissue microarray (TMA) and validated its use in translational IBC research. Differential expression of proteins that might play a role in causing the IBC phenotype was studied.

Methods and results. A TMA containing 34 IBC and 41 non-stage matched non-IBC tumours was constructed. Five core biopsies were taken for each IBC and three cores for each non-IBC tumour. The TMA was validated using three approaches: (1) the excellent concordance between immunohistochemical results of the initial pathological examination and the results obtained with the TMA for ER, PR and HER2/neu (κ > 0.74); (2) the known differential expression between IBC and non-IBC for four bio-markers in IBC (ER, PR, p53 and HER2/neu) was confirmed (p < 0.01); (3) the HER2/neu status using three different antibodies (CB11, TAB250 and HercepTest) was highly concordant (κ > 0.75). Furthermore, the overexpression of E-Cadherin and RhoC GTPase in IBC (p < 0.05) was confirmed. We did not find a differential expression pattern for carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) and EGFR.

Conclusions. Using different approaches, we have validated the use of our TMA for studying differential protein expression in IBC and non-IBC. We confirm the overexpression of E-Cadherin and RhoC GTPase in IBC. The lack of differential expression for CA IX and EGFR might suggest the pathways are equally utilised in both types of breast cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Translational Cancer Research Group, Laboratory of Pathology, University Hospital Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Edegem

    G.G. Van den Eynden, I. Van der Auwera, S. Van Laere, C.G. Colpaert, P. van Dam, E.A. Van Marck, L.Y. Dirix & P.B. Vermeulen

  2. Translational Cancer Research Group, Oncology Centre, General Hospital Sint-Augustinus, Wilrijk, Belgium

    G.G. Van den Eynden, I. Van der Auwera, S. Van Laere, C.G. Colpaert, P. van Dam, E.A. Van Marck, L.Y. Dirix & P.B. Vermeulen

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, USA

    S. Merajver

  4. Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    C.G. Kleer

  5. Cancer Research UK Growth Factor Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK

    A.L. Harris

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  1. G.G. Van den Eynden
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  2. I. Van der Auwera
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  3. S. Van Laere
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  4. C.G. Colpaert
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  5. P. van Dam
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  6. S. Merajver
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  7. C.G. Kleer
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  8. A.L. Harris
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Van den Eynden, G., Van der Auwera, I., Van Laere, S. et al. Validation of a Tissue Microarray to Study Differential Protein Expression in Inflammatory and Non-Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 85, 13–22 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BREA.0000021028.33926.a8

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