Nirmala Pathmanathan1, Jing-Shu Geng2, Wencai Li3, Xiu Nie4, Januario Veloso5, Julie Hill6, Philip McCloud6, Michael Bilous7. 1. Department of Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Pathology West, Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, Westmead Hospital, Western Sydney University and University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. 2. Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, China. 3. The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China. 4. Wuhan Union Hospital, Hubei, China. 5. National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Quezon City, Philippines. 6. McCloud Consulting Group Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia. 7. Australian Clinical Labs, Norwest Private Hospital, Western Sydney University and University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Abstract
AIM: Current estimates of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positivity rate in breast cancer are largely based on studies from the United States, Europe and Australia, and might not reflect the rate among breast cancer patients in Asia. The primary aim of this study was to conduct a clinical audit of laboratories across eight countries in Asia to determine the incidence of HER2-positive breast cancer in this region. METHODS: Pathology laboratories submitted data on breast cancers consecutively tested for HER2 over a two-year period. The proportion of HER2-positive, -equivocal and -negative tumors was determined for each country and overall. HER2-positivity rate by age and histological grade was also determined. RESULTS: HER2 results from 30 179 breast cancers were submitted by 96 laboratories. The overall HER2-positivity rate was 23.5%; the rate between countries ranged from 19.7% to 44.2%, and from 4.4% to 51.6% between laboratories. An equivocal HER2 result was recorded in 18.2% of cases. Discrepancies between laboratories suggest that testing expertise contributes to variations seen in HER2 status across laboratories, as well as the generally higher rate of HER2-positivity that was recorded. CONCLUSION: In this study, the incidence of HER2-positive breast cancer diagnosed in Asian women was higher than published studies on women from Western countries. In addition, the study found that women in Asian countries presented with breast cancer at an earlier age, with a higher histological grade. This study serves to highlight the challenges with HER2 testing and data collection in a large multicenter Asian cohort.
AIM: Current estimates of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positivity rate in breast cancer are largely based on studies from the United States, Europe and Australia, and might not reflect the rate among breast cancerpatients in Asia. The primary aim of this study was to conduct a clinical audit of laboratories across eight countries in Asia to determine the incidence of HER2-positive breast cancer in this region. METHODS: Pathology laboratories submitted data on breast cancers consecutively tested for HER2 over a two-year period. The proportion of HER2-positive, -equivocal and -negative tumors was determined for each country and overall. HER2-positivity rate by age and histological grade was also determined. RESULTS:HER2 results from 30 179 breast cancers were submitted by 96 laboratories. The overall HER2-positivity rate was 23.5%; the rate between countries ranged from 19.7% to 44.2%, and from 4.4% to 51.6% between laboratories. An equivocal HER2 result was recorded in 18.2% of cases. Discrepancies between laboratories suggest that testing expertise contributes to variations seen in HER2 status across laboratories, as well as the generally higher rate of HER2-positivity that was recorded. CONCLUSION: In this study, the incidence of HER2-positive breast cancer diagnosed in Asian women was higher than published studies on women from Western countries. In addition, the study found that women in Asian countries presented with breast cancer at an earlier age, with a higher histological grade. This study serves to highlight the challenges with HER2 testing and data collection in a large multicenter Asian cohort.
Authors: Christian Manginstar; Andi Asadul Islam; Daniel Sampepajung; William Hamdani; Agussalim Bukhari; Salman Ardy Syamsu; Nilam Smaradania; Muhammad Faruk Journal: Ann Med Surg (Lond) Date: 2021-02-10
Authors: Ming Shen Dai; Yin Hsun Feng; Shang Wen Chen; Norikazu Masuda; Thomas Yau; Shou Tung Chen; Yen Shen Lu; Yoon Sim Yap; Peter C S Ang; Sung Chao Chu; Ava Kwong; Keun Seok Lee; Samuel Ow; Sung Bae Kim; Johnson Lin; Hyun Cheol Chung; Roger Ngan; Victor C Kok; Kun Ming Rau; Takafumi Sangai; Ting Ying Ng; Ling Ming Tseng; Richard Bryce; Judith Bebchuk; Mei Chieh Chen; Ming Feng Hou Journal: Breast Cancer Res Treat Date: 2021-09-23 Impact factor: 4.872