Her2neu expression in urinary bladder cancer: Histopathological, clinico-radiological and epidemiological aspects

Abstract

Objectives: Her2/neu in bladder carcinomas as a prognostic marker has been widely studied, but with variable results. The potential for development of anti Her2/neu targeted therapy in Her2/neu positive tumours, warrants the need for a definitive conclusion on the Her2/neu status. Therefore, this study is undertaken to evaluate possible correlation between Her2/neu expression and various epidemiological, clinico-radiological and histological variables. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was performed in the Pathology department, on 43 patients with bladder malignancies, diagnosed clinically in the Surgery Department at a tertiary care medical institute of Rohilkhand region. Formalin fixed TURBT specimens were processed as per protocol. Hematoxylin and Eosin stained sections were observed microscopically along with immunohistochemistry for Her2/neu, by three independent observers. ?2 test with Yates correction was applied to evaluate possible association of Her2/neu with various variables. P value of Results: Her2/neu positivity was seen in 41.86% of the cases.Her2/neu expression was found to be statistically significant with respect to histological grade (p = 0.026) and pathological stage (p=0.025). Statistically insignificant results were obtained for Her2/neu expression with respect to patient age, gender, history of smoking, presenting complaints and ultrasonographic findings. Conclusion: A positive association between Her2/neu expression and tumour grade and stage suggests that Her2/neu status maybe helpful in formulating the treatment plan for patients of urothelial carcinoma. However, further studies with larger sample size and correlating Her2/neu expression with the patient survival are needed to developanti Her2/neu targeted therapy. Keywords: Bladder cancer, ErbB2, Her2/neu, Immunohistochemistry, Urothelial carcinoma.