Combined expression patterns of BRCA1 and p53 could serve as useful prognostic markers in TNBC.

BackgroundCD9, a member of the tetraspanin superfamily, is a tumor suppressor in many malignancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of CD9 in colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) and determine clinicopathological and prognostic significance of its expression.MethodsThe CD9 expression status of 305 CRCs was evaluated using a semi-quantitative scoring system in tumor cells (T-CD9) and immune cells (I-CD9) by classifying the results as high and low expression.ResultsHigh T-CD9 (T-CD9 [+]) expression was detected in 175 samples (57.6%) and high I-CD9 (I-CD9 [+]) expression was detected in 265 samples (86.9%). Using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, the T-CD9 (+) group showed a tendency for better disease-free survival (DFS) (p = .057). In left-sided tumors, DFS was significantly longer in the T-CD9 (+) group (p = .021) but no statistical significance was observed with right-sided tumors (p = .453). I-CD9 (+) CRCs significantly correlated with well/moderately differentiation (p = .014). In Kaplan-Meier analysis, the I-CD9 (+) group had a tendency towards worse DFS compared to the I-CD9 (–) group (p = .156). In combined survival analysis of T-CD9 and I-CD9, we found that the longest DFS was among patients in the T-CD9 (+)/I-CD9 (–) group, whereas the T-CD9 (–)/I-CD9 (+) group showed the shortest DFS (p = .054).ConclusionsHigh expression of T-CD9 was associated with a favorable DFS, especially in left-sided CRCs. Combined evaluation of T-CD9 and I-CD9 is required to determine the comprehensive prognostic effect of CD9 in CRCs.

Purpose The updated American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists guideline for estrogen receptor (ER) testing recommends that breast cancer with ER expression in 1–10% of tumor cells should be reported as ER-low positive (ER low ), although limited data are available on the overall benefits of endocrine therapy. We investigated the clinicopathological characteristics and clinical outcomes of ER low breast cancer and to compare them with those of ER-negative (ER neg ) and ER-high (> 10% of tumor cells, ER high ) breast cancers. Methods Consecutive patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent curative surgery between November 2007 and December 2014 were included. Clinicopathological characteristics and disease-free survival (DFS) of ER low tumors were compared with those of ER neg and ER high tumors. Results Of the 2,309 cases included, 46 (2%), 643 (27.8%), and 1,620 (70.2%) were ER low , ER neg , and ER high , respectively. ER low tumors were associated with no special type of histology ( p = 0.011), advanced pT ( p = 0.017), pN ( p = 0.009) and anatomic stages ( p < 0.001), high grade ( p < 0.001), negative/low progesterone receptor (PR) status ( p < 0.001), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positivity ( p < 0.001), high Ki-67 ( p < 0.001), and recurrence ( p = 0.006) compared to ER high tumors. DFS was significantly dependent on ER status, and ER low tumors showed poorer DFS than ER high tumors ( p = 0.001), however, there was no significant survival difference between ER low and ER neg tumors. Furthermore, DFS in ER high patients was affected by hormone therapy ( p < 0.001), while it was not affected in ER low patients. Conclusion Patients with ER low breast cancer have clinicopathological characteristics that differ from those with ER high tumors. Although this study was limited by the small sample size of the ER low group, no benefit from hormone therapy was observed in the ER low group compared with the ER high group.

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Purpose In 2007, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the College of American Pathologists had established a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) testing guideline, which was updated in 2013 and subsequently in 2018. We assessed the clinical impact of the recent update by comparing the in situ hybridization (ISH) results based on the 2007, 2013, and 2018 guidelines. Methods We assessed 2 cohorts. The first cohort included 1,161 primary invasive breast cancer (IBC) samples including 18 bilateral IBC cases, with both immunohistochemistry (IHC) and silver-enhanced ISH (SISH) results available for the HER2 status. The second cohort included 160 IBC cases with equivocal HER2 IHC, assessed using SISH. We retrospectively evaluated and compared the HER2 SISH results. Results There were 22 (1.9%) and 20 (12.5%) cases with altered SISH results according to the 2013 guidelines in cohorts 1 and 2, respectively. As per the 2018 guidelines, final HER2 statuses of 16 (1.4%) and 14 (8.5%) cases changed in cohorts 1 and 2, respectively. The 2013 guidelines increased the positive rate compared to the 2007 guidelines, in both cohorts (0.6% and 6.2%, respectively). Most equivocal cases in cohorts 1 (92.3%) and 2 (100%) as per the 2013 guidelines were reclassified as HER2-negative according to the 2018 guidelines. The 2018 guidelines increased the negative rates (1.3% in cohort 1 and 8.7% in cohort 2) and slightly decreased the positive rates (−0.2% in cohort 1 and −3.1% in cohort 2), compared to the 2013 guidelines. With each update, minor changes in the positive and negative rates were observed in whole breast cancer samples (cohort 1). However, the 2018 guidelines affected previously defined HER2-positive IBC with equivocal IHC results. Conclusion Under the 2013 guidelines, the positive and equivocal cases increased. However, the 2018 guidelines eliminated ambiguous cases by reclassifying them as HER2-negative.