TY - JOUR T1 - Importance of Erythropoetin Receptor Expression in Tumour Tissue for the Clinical Course of Breast Cancer JF - Anticancer Research JO - Anticancer Res SP - 3721 LP - 3726 VL - 30 IS - 9 AU - BIRGIT VOLGGER AU - KATHARINA KURZ AU - KATHRIN ZÖSCHG AU - IGOR THEURL AU - ALEXANDRA CIRESA-KÖNIG AU - CHRISTIAN MARTH AU - GÜNTER WEISS Y1 - 2010/09/01 UR - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/30/9/3721.abstract N2 - Background: Adverse outcomes in breast cancer patients treated with recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) have been linked to the expression of Epo-receptors (EpoR) in cancer cells, although limited data on the clinical significance of these observations are available. Patients and Methods: Tissue samples from 107 patients with breast cancer who did not receive rhEpo and from 12 patients with benign lesions were retrospectively analysed for EpoR expression by RT-PCR and Western blot, and the results were correlated to clinical and demographic data. Results: While EpoR levels were not linked to anaemia or inflammation, they were positively associated with progesterone and oestrogen receptor status. Patients with increased EpoR-mRNA expression had a higher local cancer recurrence rate (p=0.021), however, no significant difference in overall survival was observed. Conclusion: Since EpoR expression is associated with hormone receptor positivity and decreased locoregional disease control, this parameter characterises a specific cancer phenotype rather than being a negative predictor itself. ER -