Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2008;47(1):38-46.
doi: 10.1080/02841860701441822.

Surgical specimen can be replaced by core samples in assessment of ER, PR and HER-2 for invasive breast cancer

Affiliations
Comparative Study

Surgical specimen can be replaced by core samples in assessment of ER, PR and HER-2 for invasive breast cancer

Anna Sutela et al. Acta Oncol. 2008.

Abstract

Objective: To compare 14-gauge SCNB (stereotactic core needle biopsy) with surgery and to investigate tissue-heterogeneity of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR) and human epidermal growth-factor receptor (HER-2) for nonpalpable breast cancers. To determine the number of cores needed for assessment of these factors.

Materials and methods: Cores of 41 invasive cancers were collected in three containers: the 1st into A, the 2nd and 3rd into B and subsequent cores into C. ER, PR and HER-2 were scored by immunohistochemistry and if 2+ or 3+, by chromogenic-in-situ-hybridisation (CISH) for containers and for surgical specimen.

Results: Between SCNB and surgical specimen concordance was 83% (kappa = 0.39) for ER, 88% (kappa = 0.69) for PR and HER-2 and 93% (kappa = 0.63) for HER-2 after CISH. For the most discordant cases, status was positive in cores but negative in surgery: 5/7 for ER (p = 0.459), 5/5 for PR (p = 0.063), and 4/5 for HER-2 (p = 0.375), after CISH 3/3 (p = 0.250), but the difference was not statistically significant. Concordances between containers of cores was 100% (kappa = 1), 85% (kappa = 0.66) and 85% (kappa = 0.66), respectively. With more than three cores, sensitivities of 95%, 100% and 100% were reached.

Conclusions: SCNB is at least as sensitive as surgery in assessment of ER, PR and HER-2. Three cores are needed for reliable assessment of HER-2 after adding CISH and more than three cores for PR, possibly due to tissue heterogeneity. For ER sensitivity remained lower, 95%, even in multiple cores, therefore ER-negative cases should be further investigated from surgical specimens.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

Publication types