Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1993 Sep;68(3):621–626. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1993.397

Prognostic significance of Helix pomatia lectin and c-erbB-2 oncoprotein in human breast cancer.

M Thomas 1, M Noguchi 1, L Fonseca 1, H Kitagawa 1, K Kinoshita 1, I Miyazaki 1
PMCID: PMC1968392  PMID: 8102537

Abstract

We investigated the prognostic significance of Helix pomatia lectin (HPA) staining on disease-free and overall survival in 120 primary breast carcinomas. HPA staining was present in 58 (48%) of these carcinomas. It was significantly associated with axillary lymph node metastases (P < 0.001) and c-erbB-2 expression (P < 0.01). A univariate study revealed that disease-free and overall survival were significantly correlated with clinical stage, tumour size, axillary lymph node metastases. HPA staining and c-erbB-2 expression. In a multivariate study, all previous prognostic indicators except HPA staining and c-erbB-2 expression were independent factors. However, stratifying the patients on the basis of HPA and c-erbB-2 status suggested that HPA +/c-erbB-2+ status was predictive of a higher incidence of axillary lymph node metastases (P = 0.000001) and a poorer overall (P < 0.0002) and a shorter disease-free (P < 0.000006) survival when compared with the other subgroups, although this combination did not provide any additional prognostic information for overall (P = 0.3544) or disease-free (P = 0.7152) survival by a multivariate analysis. For patients in whom axillary lymph node dissection has not been performed, therefore, HPA and c-erbB-2 status seems to be a powerful tool to discriminate subpopulations with a high recurrence risk and shorter survival who should undergo more aggressive therapy.

Full text

PDF
621

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Akiyama T., Sudo C., Ogawara H., Toyoshima K., Yamamoto T. The product of the human c-erbB-2 gene: a 185-kilodalton glycoprotein with tyrosine kinase activity. Science. 1986 Jun 27;232(4758):1644–1646. doi: 10.1126/science.3012781. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Alam S. M., Whitford P., Cushley W., George W. D., Campbell A. M. Flow cytometric analysis of cell surface carbohydrates in metastatic human breast cancer. Br J Cancer. 1990 Aug;62(2):238–242. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1990.267. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Altevogt P., Fogel M., Cheingsong-Popov R., Dennis J., Robinson P., Schirrmacher V. Different patterns of lectin binding and cell surface sialylation detected on related high- and low-metastatic tumor lines. Cancer Res. 1983 Nov;43(11):5138–5144. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Berger M. S., Locher G. W., Saurer S., Gullick W. J., Waterfield M. D., Groner B., Hynes N. E. Correlation of c-erbB-2 gene amplification and protein expression in human breast carcinoma with nodal status and nuclear grading. Cancer Res. 1988 Mar 1;48(5):1238–1243. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bonadonna G., Valagussa P., Tancini G., Rossi A., Brambilla C., Zambetti M., Bignami P., Di Fronzo G., Silvestrini R. Current status of Milan adjuvant chemotherapy trials for node-positive and node-negative breast cancer. NCI Monogr. 1986;(1):45–49. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Borg A., Baldetorp B., Fernö M., Killander D., Olsson H., Sigurdsson H. ERBB2 amplification in breast cancer with a high rate of proliferation. Oncogene. 1991 Jan;6(1):137–143. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Brooks S. A., Leathem A. J. Prediction of lymph node involvement in breast cancer by detection of altered glycosylation in the primary tumour. Lancet. 1991 Jul 13;338(8759):71–74. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)90071-v. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Coussens L., Yang-Feng T. L., Liao Y. C., Chen E., Gray A., McGrath J., Seeburg P. H., Libermann T. A., Schlessinger J., Francke U. Tyrosine kinase receptor with extensive homology to EGF receptor shares chromosomal location with neu oncogene. Science. 1985 Dec 6;230(4730):1132–1139. doi: 10.1126/science.2999974. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Fenlon S., Ellis I. O., Bell J., Todd J. H., Elston C. W., Blamey R. W. Helix pomatia and Ulex europeus lectin binding in human breast carcinoma. J Pathol. 1987 Jul;152(3):169–176. doi: 10.1002/path.1711520305. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fukutomi T., Itabashi M., Tsugane S., Yamamoto H., Nanasawa T., Hirota T. Prognostic contributions of Helix pomatia and carcinoembryonic antigen staining using histochemical techniques in breast carcinomas. Jpn J Clin Oncol. 1989 Jun;19(2):127–134. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Furmanski P., Kirkland W. L., Gargala T., Rich M. A. Prognostic value of concanavalin A reactivity of primary human breast cancer cells. Cancer Res. 1981 Oct;41(10):4087–4092. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gullick W. J., Berger M. S., Bennett P. L., Rothbard J. B., Waterfield M. D. Expression of the c-erbB-2 protein in normal and transformed cells. Int J Cancer. 1987 Aug 15;40(2):246–254. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910400221. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Haybittle J. L., Blamey R. W., Elston C. W., Johnson J., Doyle P. J., Campbell F. C., Nicholson R. I., Griffiths K. A prognostic index in primary breast cancer. Br J Cancer. 1982 Mar;45(3):361–366. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1982.62. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Klein P. J., Vierbuchen M., Wurz H., Schulz K. D., Newman R. A. Secretion-associated lectin-binding sites as a parameter of hormone dependence in mammary carcinoma. Br J Cancer. 1981 Nov;44(5):746–748. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1981.262. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Leathem A. J., Brooks S. A. Predictive value of lectin binding on breast-cancer recurrence and survival. Lancet. 1987 May 9;1(8541):1054–1056. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(87)90482-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lovekin C., Ellis I. O., Locker A., Robertson J. F., Bell J., Nicholson R., Gullick W. J., Elston C. W., Blamey R. W. c-erbB-2 oncoprotein expression in primary and advanced breast cancer. Br J Cancer. 1991 Mar;63(3):439–443. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1991.101. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. McCann A. H., Dervan P. A., O'Regan M., Codd M. B., Gullick W. J., Tobin B. M., Carney D. N. Prognostic significance of c-erbB-2 and estrogen receptor status in human breast cancer. Cancer Res. 1991 Jun 15;51(12):3296–3303. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Noguchi M., Koyasaki N., Ohta N., Kitagawa H., Earashi M., Thomas M., Miyazaki I., Mizukami Y. C-erbB-2 oncoprotein expression versus internal mammary lymph node metastases as additional prognostic factors in patients with axillary lymph node-positive breast cancer. Cancer. 1992 Jun 15;69(12):2953–2960. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19920615)69:12<2953::aid-cncr2820691214>3.0.co;2-u. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Paik S., Hazan R., Fisher E. R., Sass R. E., Fisher B., Redmond C., Schlessinger J., Lippman M. E., King C. R. Pathologic findings from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project: prognostic significance of erbB-2 protein overexpression in primary breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 1990 Jan;8(1):103–112. doi: 10.1200/JCO.1990.8.1.103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Paterson M. C., Dietrich K. D., Danyluk J., Paterson A. H., Lees A. W., Jamil N., Hanson J., Jenkins H., Krause B. E., McBlain W. A. Correlation between c-erbB-2 amplification and risk of recurrent disease in node-negative breast cancer. Cancer Res. 1991 Jan 15;51(2):556–567. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Semba K., Kamata N., Toyoshima K., Yamamoto T. A v-erbB-related protooncogene, c-erbB-2, is distinct from the c-erbB-1/epidermal growth factor-receptor gene and is amplified in a human salivary gland adenocarcinoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Oct;82(19):6497–6501. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.19.6497. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Slamon D. J., Godolphin W., Jones L. A., Holt J. A., Wong S. G., Keith D. E., Levin W. J., Stuart S. G., Udove J., Ullrich A. Studies of the HER-2/neu proto-oncogene in human breast and ovarian cancer. Science. 1989 May 12;244(4905):707–712. doi: 10.1126/science.2470152. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Steck P. A., Nicolson G. L. Cell surface glycoproteins of 13762NF mammary adenocarcinoma clones of differing metastatic potentials. Exp Cell Res. 1983 Sep;147(2):255–267. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(83)90208-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Tandon A. K., Clark G. M., Chamness G. C., Ullrich A., McGuire W. L. HER-2/neu oncogene protein and prognosis in breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 1989 Aug;7(8):1120–1128. doi: 10.1200/JCO.1989.7.8.1120. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Thor A. D., Schwartz L. H., Koerner F. C., Edgerton S. M., Skates S. J., Yin S., McKenzie S. J., Panicali D. L., Marks P. J., Fingert H. J. Analysis of c-erbB-2 expression in breast carcinomas with clinical follow-up. Cancer Res. 1989 Dec 15;49(24 Pt 1):7147–7152. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Wright C., Angus B., Nicholson S., Sainsbury J. R., Cairns J., Gullick W. J., Kelly P., Harris A. L., Horne C. H. Expression of c-erbB-2 oncoprotein: a prognostic indicator in human breast cancer. Cancer Res. 1989 Apr 15;49(8):2087–2090. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Yamamoto T., Ikawa S., Akiyama T., Semba K., Nomura N., Miyajima N., Saito T., Toyoshima K. Similarity of protein encoded by the human c-erb-B-2 gene to epidermal growth factor receptor. Nature. 1986 Jan 16;319(6050):230–234. doi: 10.1038/319230a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. van de Vijver M. J., Peterse J. L., Mooi W. J., Wisman P., Lomans J., Dalesio O., Nusse R. Neu-protein overexpression in breast cancer. Association with comedo-type ductal carcinoma in situ and limited prognostic value in stage II breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 1988 Nov 10;319(19):1239–1245. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198811103191902. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES