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BACKGROUND HER‐2/neu is a valuable prognostic marker in primary breast carcinoma. Controversy surrounds the correlation between HER‐2/neu expression and other prognostic markers, as has been discussed in preclinical and clinical studies. The objective of the current study was to investigate the probability, calculated using parameters that are assessed routinely in clinical practice, that patients with breast carcinoma had positive HER‐2/neu status. METHODS The authors evaluated HER‐2/neu status in 923 consecutive patients with breast carcinoma by immunohistochemical methods. Correlations involving HER‐2/neu status, estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status, tumor grade, patient age, lymph node involvement, and tumor size were evaluated using the Mantel–Haenszel chi‐square test and the Spearman correlation. The authors created a simple scoring system (i.e., the diagnostic instrument for validation of HER‐2/neu score) to define subgroups of patients with breast carcinoma and to determine the likelihood of HER‐2/neu positivity. RESULTS HER‐2/neu overexpression was correlated significantly with negative ER (P = 0.0001) and PR status (P = 0.0001), Grade 3 (G3) lesions (P = 0.0001), and young age (P = 0.006). The likelihood of HER‐2/neu positivity in a patient with positive ER and PR status and G1/G2 disease was approximately 6.1%. CONCLUSIONS The authors demonstrated in a large patient series that HER‐2/neu overexpression was associated with negative hormone receptor status, G3, and young age. In a subgroup of patients presenting with hormone‐responsive and G1/G2 tumors, the likelihood of HER‐2/neu overexpression was very small. Therefore, the assessment of HER‐2/neu status in this subgroup of patients with breast carcinoma may be considered unnecessary, unless the role of HER‐2/neu status in adjuvant treatment has been proven. Cancer 2003;98:2547–53. © 2003 American Cancer Society.

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In recent years, alcoholic cirrhosis has been accepted as an indication for OLT, compliance of patients suffering from alcoholic cirrhosis is still under discussion, however. 118 patients who had undergone OLT for alcoholic cirrhosis were considered for analysis. The mean follow-up time of the study population was 53.7 +/- 38.9 months. Compliance was defined by 3 parameters: 1. Sobriety. Fifteen (13%) out of 118 recipients suffered an alcohol relapse during the observation period. There was no difference between the groups with or without alcohol relapse concerning compliance with medication, incidence of rejection, or adherence to check-ups. 2. Drug-compliance. Nineteen recipients (16 %) were not within the target range with the immunosuppressive medication. Comparison of the compliant- and non-compliant groups produced a significant difference for late acute rejection, the other parameters being similar in the subgroups. 3. Adherence to appointments. Nearly all patients in the study population ( > 95 %) were compliant with both transplant and psychological appointments in the outpatient clinic. In conclusion, analysis of our data indicates that patients with OLT for alcoholic cirrhosis are compliant, although alcohol relapse occurs in 13 % of recipients.