Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P04626 (erbB-2)
 5,251 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Amplification of the Neu oncogene (c-erbB-2) has been reported by various researchers as a marker for poor clinical outcome in patients with breast cancer. We have performed immunohistochemical staining using a polyclonal antibody to the Neu oncoprotein on formalin-fixed material from normal breast, benign breast lesions, and 102 stage I node-negative breast cancers. Hybridization studies were also performed on 66 of the breast cancer cases. In the cancers 33% of cases showed positive staining of the in situ and invasive component, whereas only 25% of cases showed amplification of the Neu oncogene. The staining pattern in the tumor cells was cytoplasmic with plasma membrane accentuation. Focal positive cytoplasmic staining was noted in some cases of fibrocystic disease, fibroadenoma, and normal breast duct epithelium. Myoepithelial cells and smooth muscle of blood vessels also showed a positive reaction. This study shows that the Neu oncoprotein can be demonstrated on formalin-fixed material from normal, benign, and malignant breast lesions. In the breast cancers the differences in the number of cases showing amplification and those showing a positive immunohistochemical reaction could be due to increased transcriptional activity. It is possible that the node-negative patients whose tumors express the Neu oncogene may correspond to the group of patients who are expected to have a poor prognosis.
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PMID:Distribution and patterns of staining of Neu oncogene product in benign and malignant breast diseases. 197 59

Dedifferentiated adenoid cystic carcinomas are a recently defined, rare variant of adenoid cystic carcinomas characterized histologically by two components: conventional low-grade adenoid cystic carcinoma and high-grade "dedifferentiated" carcinoma. We examined six cases and analyzed their clinicopathologic profiles, including immunohistochemical features and p53 gene alterations. The 6 patients (3 men and 3 women) had a mean age of 46.8 years (range, 34-70 y). The mean size of the tumors was 3.5 cm (range, 1.7-6 cm). The submandibular gland, maxillary sinus, and nasal cavity were involved in 2 cases each. Postoperatively, 5 patients had local recurrence and 5 developed metastatic disease. Five patients died of disease at a mean of 33.7 months after diagnosis (range, 6-69 mo), and one other was alive with disease at 60 months. Histologically, the conventional low-grade adenoid cystic carcinoma component of the tumors consisted of a mixture of cribriform and tubular patterns with scant solid areas. The high-grade dedifferentiated carcinoma component was either a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (4 cases) or undifferentiated carcinoma (2 cases). Three tumors were studied immunohistochemically. Myoepithelial markers were expressed in low-grade adenoid cystic carcinoma but not in the dedifferentiated component. In 2 cases, diffusely positive p53 immunoreactivity together with HER-2/neu overexpression was restricted to the dedifferentiated component. Loss of pRb expression was demonstrated only in the dedifferentiated component of the 1 other case. The Ki-67-labeling index was higher in the dedifferentiated component than in the low-grade adenoid cystic carcinoma component. Furthermore, molecular analysis of 2 cases demonstrated the loss of heterozygosity at p53 microsatellite loci, accompanied by p53 gene point mutation, only in the dedifferentiated carcinoma component of 1 case, which was positive for p53 immunostaining. These results indicate that dedifferentiated adenoid cystic carcinoma is a highly aggressive tumor. Because of frequent recurrence and metastasis, the clinical course is short, similar to that of adenoid cystic carcinomas with a predominant solid growth pattern. Limited evidence suggests that p53 abnormalities in combination with HER-2/neu overexpression or loss of pRb expression may have a role in dedifferentiation of adenoid cystic carcinoma.
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PMID:Dedifferentiated adenoid cystic carcinoma: a clinicopathologic study of 6 cases. 1468 28