Role of HER2 expression in non-palpable breast cancer patients

DOMÍNGUEZ W, NARDI H, LIZARRAGA G, MONTERO H, VINCENT E, GENTILI A AND BALOGH G.

Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine

http://www.spandidos-publications.com

Año: 2010 vol. 1 p. 597 - 602

1792-0981

Our objective in this pilot project is to investigate whether the breast fine needle aspiration (FNA) technique is a useful tool to determine increased risk for breast cancer development in patients with non-palpable breast lesions. FNA is a minimal invasive technique that allows isolating mammary epithelial cells from breast in the suspicious region. In this study 12 patients were employed and two FNA samples were collected per patient. The level of HER2/NEU expression at mRNA level (in serum) was measured in each patient as well. Because gene amplification is characteristic of cancer cells and it may assist in diagnosis and prognostic assessment, it is crucial that gene amplification of HER2/NEU in patients with non-palpable breast lesion is compared with the breast biopsy results. In serum, the level of HER2/NEU was determined by ELISA assay. Gene amplification will be determined by PCR and confirmed by IHC employing monoclonal ERRB2 in the FNA sample.