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Her2-neu score as a prognostic factor for outcome in patients with triple-negative breast cancer

  • Original Article – Clinical Oncology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by a strong heterogeneity with regard to tumour biology as well as in the clinical course of the disease. This study aimed to analyse whether there are any prognostic factors enabling prediction of the clinical outcome in patients with TNBC. Particularly, the impact of Her2-neu score 0 versus Her2-neu score 1 and 2 on survival was investigated.

Materials and methods

We retrospectively studied a cohort of 1013 patients with TNBC, diagnosed at seven hospitals between May 2002 and February 2015. We studied the impact of Her2-neu scores (0 vs. 1 or 2 with negative FISH) on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results

1013 patients were included in this study. 447 (44.13 %) of them had a T2–4 tumour. A total of 314 (31.00 %) were nodal-positive and 714 (70.48 %) had high-grade tumours. The Her2-neu score of all participating patients was determined. 588 (58.05 %) of them had a Her2-neu score 0, and 425 (41.95 %) had a score of 1 or 2. This study shows that TNBC patients with a Her2-neu score 0 had a significantly poorer outcome regarding DFS (p = 0.0001) and OS (p = 0.0051) compared to a score of 1 or 2. In contrast, grading did not seem to have any prognostic value for women with TNBC.

Conclusion

The Her2-neu score 0 might be considered as an innovative prognostic factor for patients with TNBC indicating poor clinical outcome.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Homburg University Medical Centre, University of Saarland, 66421, Homburg, Germany

    Gilda Schmidt, Christoph Gerlinger, Ingolf Juhasz-Böss, Rainer Bohle, Jan Endrikat & Erich-Franz Solomayer

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, RWTH Aachen University, 52062, Aachen, Germany

    Elmar Stickeler

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Luebeck, 23538, Lübeck, Germany

    Achim Rody & Cornelia Liedtke

  4. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital, 01069, Dresden, Germany

    Pauline Wimberger & Theresa Link

  5. Hospital St. Wendel, 66606, St. Wendel, Germany

    Eberhard Müller

  6. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Duesseldorf University Hospital, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Tanja Fehm

  7. Hospital Idar-Oberstein, 55743, Idar-Oberstein, Germany

    Manuela Abel & Stefan Stein

Authors
  1. Gilda Schmidt
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  2. Christoph Gerlinger
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  14. Erich-Franz Solomayer
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Correspondence to Gilda Schmidt.

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Schmidt, G., Gerlinger, C., Juhasz-Böss, I. et al. Her2-neu score as a prognostic factor for outcome in patients with triple-negative breast cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 142, 1369–1376 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-016-2146-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-016-2146-z

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