TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH STUDIES OF ERBB ONCOGENES - SELECTION-STRATEGIES FOR BREAST-CANCER-TREATMENT

Specific gene families, e.g, encoding members of signal transduction p athways, show a gene dosage sensitivity. We report on the determinatio n of the gene dosages of egfr and c-erbB-2 in relation to the intratum oral concentration of the tyrosine kinase receptor protein EGFR and p1 85(c-erbB-2) and the clinical outcome of breast cancer patients in a r etrospective study. Prognostic unfavorable subgroups were determined i n a life-table analysis by (a) an average gene copy number of egfr of less than 0.4 and greater than 1,6 and an intratumoral EGFR concentrat ion of more than 56 fmol/mg, (b) an intratumoral p185(-erbB-2) concent ration above 26 HNU/mg and (c) a quotient of egfr and c-erbB-2 average gene copy numbers of less than 0.15 and greater than 4.35. (C) 1997 E lsevier Science Ireland Ltd.