Survival of breast cancer patients according to changes in expression of selected markers between primary tumor and lymph node metastases.

Abstract

The differences between primary and metastatic tumor cells might be important for treatment selection and prognostication. Expression of ER, PR, HER2, CK5/6, EGFR, Ki-67, Ep-CAM, P-cadherin, CD24, CD44, ALDH was assessed immunohistochemically in primary tumor (T) and corresponding synchronous nodal metastases (LNM) in 156 invasive ductal breast cancer patients (T ≥1, N ≥1, M0). Independent negative prognostic factors for disease-free survival were pN3, ALDH immunopositivity in LNM, nonluminal A subtype in LNM, reduction of Ep-CAM expression in LNM, lack of changes or enhancement of CK5/6 and ALDH expression in LNM. Our results suggest that in some cases expression of markers in lymph node metastases might bring additional prognostic information to that obtained from primary tumor.