Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers have identified a protein fragment in some human breast cancers that may help predict a patient's chances of survival.
The presence of the fragment, called p95HER-2, in breast cancer tissue correlates closely with lymph node metastasis and earlier recurrence of the disease, suggesting that p95HER-2 is a marker and perhaps even involved in metastasis.
"By studying this marker we have a better chance to identify the patients who are more likely to have a longer disease-free survival," said Edward Keenan, Ph.D., one of the authors of the study. Keenan is professor of physiology and pharmacology and associate dean for medical education, OHSU School of Medicine.
The study, conducted in the lab of Gail Clinton, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, OHSU School of Medicine, in collaboration with Keenan and investigators in Spain led by Jose Baselga, M.D., will be published on Jan. 15 in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal published by the American Association for Cancer Research.
The study builds on observations the investigators have published over the last five years about the role of the HER-2 oncogene in breast cancer. HER-2, a growth factor receptor, is overexpressed in 20 to 30 percent of breast cancer cases, but it has had limited usefulness in predicting clinical outcomes, particularly in early-stage breast cancer.