Expression of selected proteins in breast cancer brain metastases

The aim of the study was to assess the immunohistochemical (IHC) profiles of SRC3, Pax2, ER, PgR, Her2, EGFR, CK5/6, and Ki67 proteins in breast-cancer brain metastasis. The study utilized tumor samples from 30 metastatic patients and calculated correlations between all IHC variables. In fourteen cases, primary breast cancers paired with secondary deposits were analyzed. We evaluated the association between IHC status in the primary and secondary deposits, grade, and histotype of the tumors. The examination of the metastatic deposits in all 30 patients resulted in positive detection in the following cases: SRC3 in 20 cases (66.6%), Pax2 in 22 (73.3%), ER in 22 (73.3%), PgR in 25 (83.3%), Her2 in 10 (33.3%), EGFR in 12 (40%), CK5/6 in 7 (23.3%), and Ki67 in 23 (76.6%). Grade 2 was found in 13.3% of all patients, and grade 3 in 86.7%. SRC3 and Pax2 were positive in both G2 and G3. Invasive lobular carcinoma and invasive ductal carcinoma were diagnosed in 23.3% and 76.7% of cases, respectively. There were no differences between the IHC expression of the studied proteins in either grading or histotype of the tumors. In the IHC profiles, which included SRC3, Pax2, ER, PgR, Her2, CK5/6, Ki67, and EGFR, we found no statistically significant differences between the primary cancer and the brain metastasis. In our study of metastatic breast carcinoma deposits, there was no correlation between SRC3, Pax2 status and histotype, and tumor grade. The IHC status of the paired primary and metastatic deposits did not differ in a statistically significant manner.