Relationship between the expression of C-erbB-2 and p-protein kinase B proteins with the neoadjuvant chemotherapy efficacy in breast cancer

Abstract

Objective To investigate the relationship between the expression of C-erbB-2 and pprotein kinase B (p-Akt) proteins with the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer.Methods From October 2008 to February 2011,30 female patients with stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ primary breast cancer received 2-4 cycles of NAC with CEF/TE before surgery in our hospital.The expression of C-erbB-2 and p-Akt in paraffin-embedded tissue before chemotherapy was detected by using immunohistochemistry,and apoptosis index (AI) of breast cancer cells in paraffin-embedded tissues after surgery was assayed by TdTmediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL).The relationships between these indicators and NAC efficacy were analyzed.Results The objective response rate of NAC treatment was 80.0％.The mean AI of effective treatment was 26.7％,and that of ineffective treatment was 13.2％.AI was positively correlated with the effect of chemotherapy (r =0.782,P ＜ 0.05).The positive expression rate of C-erbB-2 and p-Akt proteins was 80.0％ and 83.33％,respectively,and p-Akt was overexpressed in 53.3％ of patients.There was a positive correlation between p-Akt and C-erbB-2 (r =0.546,P ＜0.01).The mean AI of the patients negative or positive for C-erbB-2 expression was 30.8％ and 17.2％,respectively.The mean AI of the patients with p-Akt low or high expression was 29.9％ and 18.9％,respectively.There was negative correlation between AI and C-erbB-2 as well as between AI and p-Akt (low expression and high expression) (P ＜0.05).Conclusion C-erbB-2 and p-Akt overexpression may affect NAC efficacy by resisting to chemotherapeutic drug-induced apoptosis of breast cancer cells. Key words: Breast cancer; Chemotherapy ; Efficacy