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Assessment of Ovarian Cancer Spheroid Attachment and Invasion of Mesothelial Cells in Real Time
Published on: May 20, 2014
HER2 status in ovarian carcinomas: a multicenter GINECO study of 320 patients
Marianne Tuefferd1, Jérôme Couturier, Françoise Penault-Llorca
1JE2492, Université Paris-Sud, IFR69, Villejuif, France.
Background:
Despite a typically good response to first-line combination chemotherapy, the prognosis for patients with advanced ovarian cancer remains poor because of acquired chemoresistance. The use of targeted therapies such as trastuzumab may potentially improve outcomes for patients with ovarian cancer. HER2 overexpression/amplification has been reported in ovarian cancer, but the exact percentage of HER2-positive tumors varies widely in the literature. In this study, HER2 gene status was evaluated in a large, multicentric series of 320 patients with advanced ovarian cancer, including 243 patients enrolled in a multicenter prospective clinical trial of paclitaxel/carboplatin-based chemotherapy.
Methodology/Principal Findings:
The HER2 status of primary tumors and metastases was evaluated by both immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of paraffin-embedded tissue on conventional slides. The prognostic impact of HER2 expression was analyzed. HER2 gene was overexpressed and amplified in 6.6% of analyzed tumors. Despite frequent intratumoral heterogeneity, no statistically significant difference was detected between primary tumors and corresponding metastases.
Conclusions/Significance:
Our results show that the decision algorithm usually used in breast cancer (IHC as a screening test, with equivocal results confirmed by FISH) is appropriate in ovarian cancer. In contrast to previous series, HER2-positive status did not influence outcome in the present study, possibly due to the fact that patients in our study received paclitaxel/carboplatin-based chemotherapy. This raises the question of whether HER2 status and paclitaxel sensitively are linked.
Insights
HER2 gene amplification occurs in 6.6% of advanced ovarian cancers. HER2-positive status did not impact patient outcomes in this study, possibly due to paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy regimens.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Diagnostics
Background:
- Advanced ovarian cancer prognosis is poor due to chemoresistance.
- Targeted therapies like trastuzumab show potential.
- HER2 overexpression/amplification prevalence in ovarian cancer is variable.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate HER2 gene status in a large, multicentric series of advanced ovarian cancer patients.
- Assess the prognostic impact of HER2 expression.
- Determine the suitability of breast cancer diagnostic algorithms for ovarian cancer.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed HER2 status in 320 advanced ovarian cancer patients using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).
- Included 243 patients from a prospective clinical trial of paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy.
- Evaluated HER2 status in primary tumors and metastases from paraffin-embedded tissues.
Main Results:
- HER2 gene overexpression and amplification found in 6.6% of tumors.
- No significant difference in HER2 status between primary tumors and metastases, despite intratumoral heterogeneity.
- HER2-positive status did not correlate with patient outcomes in this cohort.
Conclusions:
- The standard breast cancer diagnostic algorithm (IHC followed by FISH for equivocal cases) is appropriate for ovarian cancer.
- HER2-positive status did not affect outcomes, potentially due to concurrent paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy.
- Further investigation is needed to explore the link between HER2 status and paclitaxel sensitivity.
