Impact of C-erb2 status on survival after high dose chemotherapy in high-risk breast cancer patients

ABSTRACT

To investigate the impact of c-erb2 status on survival after high-dose chemotherapy. Between March 1997 and June 2004, a total of 54 women with breast cancer who has at least 8 metastatic lymph nodes underwent high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Giilhane Military Medical School, Ankara, Turkey. Archival specimens were analyzed by fluorescent in situ hybridization to determine the impact of c-erb2 status after peripheral blood stem cell transplantation on survival. The patients were divided into c-erb2 negative [n=20] and positive [n=l 1] groups. No statistically significant differences were detected between c-erb2 negative and positive groups regarding 5 -year disease-free survival [41 and 27%, log rank p=0.1 1], and overall survival [60 and 45%, p=0.33[. Transplant related mortality did not differ between groups. We found no differences between c-erb2 negative and positive groups regarding disease-free and overall survival. To clarify the value of the c-erb2 status in predicting outcome after high-dose chemotherapy, prospective randomized studies are needed