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Clinical Utility of Serial Serum c-erbB-2 Determinations in the Follow-up of Breast Cancer Patients

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Abstract

To evaluate the ability of serum c-erbB-2 protein to (1) indicate occult and manifest metastases and (2) reflect response to first-line therapy, serial serum c-erbB-2 measurements were performed in a retrospective series of 52 primary breast cancer patients who had developed metastatic disease during follow-up. The results were compared with CA 15-3. Preoperatively, 31% (16/52) of the primary breast cancer patients had elevated c-erbB-2 concentrations. The CA 15-3 positivity rate was 13% (7/52). After surgery, 10 of the 52 patients showed either stable but highly elevated or rising c-erbB-2 serum levels indicating serum c-erbB-2 producing minimal residual disease. Increasing CA 15-3 concentrations were seen in only three patients. Elevated serum c-erbB-2 levels predicted manifest metastases in 27 and 50% of the patients at 6 and 3 months, respectively, prior to clinical diagnosis. CA 15-3 was less sensitive. Only 16 and 32% of the patients had increased CA 15-3 serum concentrations at 6 and 3 months, respectively, prior to clinical detection. The positivity rates of c-erbB-2 and CA 15-3 were similar when metastases were clinically diagnosed. Elevated c-erbB-2 concentrations were found in 62% (32/52). The sensitivity of CA 15-3 was 56% (29/52). The association between serum profiles and response to first-line therapy was evaluated in detail for 45 patients. Serial c-erbB-2 and CA 15-3 measurements reflected disease course in 24 and 27 patients, respectively. The serum profiles of c-erbB-2 and CA 15-3 were similar in 17 patients. In summary, our results suggest that serial determinations of serum c-erbB-2 are useful to monitor breast cancer patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany

    Tanja Fehm, Gerhard Gebauer & Wolfram Jäger

  2. Cancer Immunobiology Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

    Tanja Fehm

  3. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, San Diego, CA, USA

    Gerhard Gebauer

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  1. Tanja Fehm
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  2. Gerhard Gebauer
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  3. Wolfram Jäger
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Fehm, T., Gebauer, G. & Jäger, W. Clinical Utility of Serial Serum c-erbB-2 Determinations in the Follow-up of Breast Cancer Patients. Breast Cancer Res Treat 75, 97–106 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019601022456

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