Jg. Molland et al., PROGNOSTIC-SIGNIFICANCE OF C-ERBB-2 ONCOGENE IN AXILLARY NODE-NEGATIVE BREAST-CANCER, Australian and New Zealand journal of surgery, 66(2), 1996, pp. 64-70
Background: With the advent of screening mammography more breast cance
r will be detected at an earlier stage, apparently confined to the bre
ast with no nodal involvement. However, 30% of these will recur due to
micrometastases present at the time of diagnosis. Chemotherapy and ta
moxifen have been shown to improve disease-free survival in axillary n
ode-negative patients but not overall survival. In the search fur a us
eful predictor of breast cancer recurrence the relationship between c-
erDB-2 expression and recurrence and survival was examined. Methods: E
ighty-eight axillary node-negative breast cancer patients were followe
d up for at least 5 years. Results: There was a significant relationsh
ip between c-erbB-2, expression and both tumour recurrence (P < 0.001)
and poorer survival (P = 0.003). In a Cox multiple regression analysi
s, c-erbB-2 staining remained the only significant prognostic variable
for recurrence (P = 0.002) and survival (P = 0.032). Tumour recurrenc
e in c-erbB-2-positive cases tended to occur early in the course of fo
llow up and was associated with poorer survival. Conclusion: C-erbB-2
was found to be a useful prognostic indicator for early recurrence and
poorer survival in axillary node-negative breast cancer patients.