Lack of prognostic significance of HER-2/neu in early epithelial ovarian cancer.

A total of 74 patients with apparent early stage epithelial ovarian cancer who underwent exploratory laparotomy at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital or other hospitals and were referred for further treatment, were evaluated. Formalin fixed paraffin-embedded ovarian tissue specimens were collected and immuno-stained with HER-2/neu antibodies for comparison with clinicopathologic data after median follow up of 46 months (range 3 - 83 months). The prevalence of HER-2/neu overexpression in these patients was 10.2%. No significant correlation between HER-2/neu overexpression and clinicopathological parameters (stage, ascites, capsular rupture, capsular adherence, histological subtype and histological grade) was found. Disease free survival and overall survival did not statistically differ between those with lesions positive or negative for HER-2/neu overexpression.

Carcinoma subseroso de la vesícula biliar: expresión del complejo caderina-catenina / Subserous gallbladder carcinoma: expression of cadherine-catenine complex

BACKGROUND: Subserous gallbladder carcinoma is difficult to diagnose and treat. There are no tissue markers with prognostic value in this type of tumor. AIM: To study the immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin alpha and beta catenin in subserous gallbladder carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred seventeen subjects (103 women and 14 men aged 62 and 69 years as a mean, respectively), were studied. Thirty five gallbladder samples without evidence of cancer were used as controls. Expression of markers was studied with standard immunohistochemical techniques for formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tissue. RESULTS: Ninety seven percent of tumors were adenocarcinoma. A lower or absent expression of E-cadherin, alpha catenin and beta catenin was observed in 26, 33 and 29 per cent, respectively. Actuarial five years survival was 37 per cent. No association between macroscopic features of the tumor and survival was observed. Well differentiated tumors had a 73 per cent survival, whereas less differentiated tumors had a 30 per cent survival. Tumors with a normal expression of the markers had a slightly better survival, although not significant (p = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 30 per cent of subserous gallbladder carcinoma have an abnormal expression of E-cadherin, alpha catenin and beta catenin. This abnormal expression has no relationship with prognosis and is probably secondary to the aberrant genic expression of the tumor.