The combined endocrine receptor in breast cancer, a novel approach to traditional hormone receptor interpretation and a better discriminator of outcome than ER and PR alone.

Background: The functional role of progesterone receptor (PR) signalling was previously unclear and PR testing in breast cancer is controversial. Recent defining work has highlighted the functional crosstalk that exists between the oestrogen receptor (ER) and PR. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to compare the prognostic value of the combined ER and PR score with either ER or PR alone.

Immunohistochemical detection improves the prognostic value of lymphatic and blood vessel invasion in primary ductal breast cancer.

Background: Lymphovascular invasion (LBVI) including lymphatic (LVI) and blood (BVI) vessel invasion is a critical step in cancer metastasis. In breast cancer, the optimal detection method of LBVI remains unclear. This research aimed to compare the prognostic value of different assessments of the LVI and BVI in patients with early breast cancer.

Expression of RUNX1 correlates with poor patient prognosis in triple negative breast cancer.

The RUNX1 transcription factor is widely recognised for its tumour suppressor effects in leukaemia. Recently a putative link to breast cancer has started to emerge, however the function of RUNX1 in breast cancer is still unknown. To investigate if RUNX1 expression was important to clinical outcome in primary breast tumours a tissue microarray (TMA) containing biopsies from 483 patients with primary operable invasive ductal breast cancer was stained by immunohistochemistry.

SIRT2: tumour suppressor or tumour promoter in operable breast cancer?

Purpose: Sirtuins comprise a family of genes involved in cellular stress, survival and damage responses. They have been implicated in a range of diseases including cancer, with most information pertaining to their function in tumourigenesis being derived from in vitro studies, or model organisms. Their putative roles as tumour suppressors or tumour promoters remain to be validated in vivo.

The role of lymphatic and blood vessel invasion in predicting survival and methods of detection in patients with primary operable breast cancer.

Lymphovascular invasion (LBVI) has long been recognized as an essential step of metastases in patients with cancer. However, the process of invasion into lymphatic and blood vessels is still not well defined in breast cancer. To examine the evidence for LBVI, lymphatic vessel invasion (LVI) and blood vessel invasion (BVI) in predicting survival in patients with primary operable breast cancer, and to evaluate the detection methods of vessel invasion.

Comparison of visual and automated assessment of microvessel density and their impact on outcome in primary operable invasive ductal breast cancer.

Angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth and metastasis, and several studies have reported increased angiogenesis, as quantified by microvessel density, to be a powerful prognostic tool in breast cancer. Therefore, there is considerable interest in automated assessment of microvessel density with possible benefits in improved accuracy, increased precision, and handling workload. Visual and automated assessment of microvessel density (CD34(+)) and survival were examined in patients with primary operable invasive ductal breast cancer.

Comparison of visual and automated assessment of HER2 status and their impact on outcome in primary operable invasive ductal breast cancer.

Aims: To compare visual and computerized image analysis of HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) with fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) for HER2 status, and to examine the relationships with outcome in patients with primary operable invasive ductal breast cancer.

Methods And Results: Tissue microarrays for 431 breast cancer patients were used to compare different approaches to the assessment of HER2 status. The cores were scored visually and with the Slidepath Tissue IA system, using the NICE-approved scoring system for the HercepTest, as well as by FISH.

The role of the tumour inflammatory cell infiltrate in predicting recurrence and survival in patients with primary operable breast cancer.

Although the first studies highlighting the importance of the tumour inflammatory cell infiltrate were reported more than 80 years ago, the prognostic value of this response in breast cancer is still controversial. With the realisation of the importance of the inflammatory response in determining tumour progression there has been renewed interest in establishing the relationship between the type, density and location of inflammatory cell infiltrate and survival in patients with primary operable breast cancer. The aim was to undertake a systematic review of the literature examining the evidence for the role of the tumour inflammatory cell infiltrate in predicting recurrence and survival in patients with primary operable breast cancer.

Breast cancer outcomes by steroid hormone receptor status assessed visually and by computer image analysis.

Aims: To compare the assessment of steroid hormone receptor immunohistochemistry by eye and by computer-aided image analysis, and to examine their relationships with survival in breast cancer.

Methods And Results: Allred scores and weighted histoscores for oestrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) immunohistochemistry were determined by eye (visual histoscore) for 459 primary invasive ductal breast carcinomas in triplicate tissue microarrays. Histoscores were also determined by computerized image analysis (automated histoscore).