HER-3 status by immunohistochemistry in HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab: correlation with clinical outcome.

Aims And Background: HER-3 signaling might contribute to resistance to trastuzumab. To clarify the role of HER-3 in HER-2-positive breast cancer, it is important to evaluate the level of HER-3 and its correlations with clinical outcome in metastatic breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab.

Methods: HER-3 status by immunohistochemistry was evaluated in HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab-based therapy at our institution.

EGFR, pMAPK, pAkt and PTEN status by immunohistochemistry: correlation with clinical outcome in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab.

Background: In an attempt to identify markers of resistance to trastuzumab, we evaluated both the profiling of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive tumor cells measuring the relative levels of EGFR, pMAPK, pAkt and PTEN and their correlations with clinical outcome in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab.

Patients And Methods: Tumor tissues for this retrospective analysis were available from 45 out of 76 patients with metastatic breast cancer treated from April 1999 to March 2006 with trastuzumab-based therapy at our Institution. Evaluations of EGFR, pMAPK, pAkt and PTEN status by immunohistochemistry (IHC) were carried out on all 45 tissue samples and their correlations with response to trastuzumab, incidence of central nervous system (CNS) metastases, time to progression (TTP), overall survival from diagnosis of breast cancer (OS1), from diagnosis of metastatic disease (OS2) and from the start of trastuzumab (OS3) were analyzed.

A population survival model for breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a major health problem, and disease control depends on an effective healthcare system. A registry-based tool to monitor the quality of breast cancer care could be useful. The aim of this study was to develop a population survival model for breast cancer based on the Nottingham Prognostic Model (NPM).

Selective trophic effect of L-carnitine in type I and IIa skeletal muscle fibers.

Biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis muscle of 26 chronic uremic patients before and after a 24-week treatment with L-carnitine given at the dose of 2 g i.v. at the end of hemodialysis, or in dialysis solution, or per os twice daily.