Conversion of ER, PR, HER2 and Ki-67 and Prognosis in breast cancer metastases to the brain.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the expression levels of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2), and Ki-67 proliferation index in the brain metastatic lesions and primary lesions in Chinese patients with breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) and determine the correlation between their changes and patients' survival. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with BCBM. The clinical characteristic of these patients was collected. The differences in the expression levels of the ER, PR, HER-2, and Ki-67 index between the primary lesions and brain lesions were evaluated, and the association between the differences and survival was analyzed. Results: The conversion rate of anyone receptor (ER, PR, or HER2) between the primary lesions and brain metastatic lesions was 45.0% (18/40), of which the ER inconsistency rate was 25.0%, the PR inconsistency rate was 22.5%, and the HER-2 inconsistency rate was 15.0%, and the receptor conversion resulted in a subtype conversion of 27.5% (11/40). The patients with HER-2 expression discordance between the primary lesions and the brain metastatic lesions had significantly longer survival times (58.9 vs. 26.4 months, P = 0.04) after diagnosis of brain metastases. Conclusion: In this study, 45.0% of breast cancer patients developed biomarker-conversion between the primary lesions and brain metastatic lesions, and the differences in the expression levels of the ER, PR, and HER-2, the change in Ki-67 index between the primary lesions and brain lesions may predict patients' survival.

Exploratory study of chemotherapy combined with endocrine therapy for metastatic breast cancer after standard treatment failure / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective To analyze the clinical value of chemotherapy combined with endocine therapy after standard treatment failure for advanced metastatic breast cancer.Methods 30 metastatic breast cancer patients after standard treatment failure were analyzed.Etoposide (75-100 mg/d) wasused on days 1-10,followed by 11 days of rest combined with medroxyprogesterone 0.5 g,twice per day,or megestrol 160 mg/d for 21 days.Clinical effects and life quility were analysed.Results The median treatment line of this therapy was 6 (range 3-9).The clinical benefit rate is 16.7 ％ (5/30),and the median progression free survival (PFS) was 4.0 months (range 1.0-13.0 months).Conclusion The combination of chemotherapy (etoposide) and endocrine therapy (progesterone) is a choice of treatment after standard drug failure for advanced mastatic breast cancer patients.