Evaluation of the P13K pathway and downstream effect in Her-2 positive and negative breast carcinomas

Breast cancer management continues to be a challenge due to the heterogeneity of the disease and the fact that individuals with the same stage and pathological diagnosis may respond differently to treatment as a result of differences in gene expression. Several components of the Her-2/PI3K/Akt pathway were evaluated for their relevance as potential prognostic markers or indicators for treatment. A secondary objective was to evaluate the CISH technique for its suitability for analysis of Her-2 gene amplification on archived, Papanicolaou-stained fine needle aspiration (FNA) samples. Tissue blocks from a retrospective series of 93 primary breast carcinoma cases were selected, based on their Her-2 status. Twenty six of these cases received trastuzumab treatment while 67 did not. Expression of Her-2, ER, PI3K, PTEN, p-Akt, BCL2, NFκB, MDM2 and p53 were analysed and compared with various clinicopathological features. The CISH technique was evaluated for its suitability for analysis of Her-2 gene amplification on archived, Papanicolaou-stained FNA samples.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Division of Anatomical Pathology

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Rademan, Anina

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Govender, Dhiren

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13965

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13965