C-erbB2 oncoprotein: prognostic marker in breast cancer.

AIM The invasive mammary cancer is the most frequent malign tumor of a woman. Among the potential prognostic factors are included the biomarkers which measure or are associated with biological processes involved in the tumoral progression. We study the prognostic importance of the c-erbB2 oncoprotein in the invasive mammary cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS We included in the study 56 female patients suffering of invasive mammary cancer. The tissue fragments were fitted in formol, included to paraffin, commonly colored haematoxylin-eosine (HE); for the determination of the c-erbB2 we used the immunohistochemical method of avidin-biotin (ABC) complex. RESULTS From the total of 56 tumors, 38 (67.9%) presented different degrees of positivity; 18 (32.1%) did not express the oncoprotein c-erbB2. CONCLUSIONS The positivity of c-erbB2 oncoprotein was correlated with the size of the tumor; the carcinomas which are not infiltrative ductal, knows as having a better prognostic, were c-erbB2 negative.