Comparison of pre- and postsurgical concentrations of blood HER-2 mRNA and HER-2 extracellular domain reflects HER-2 status in early breast cancer.

effect on statins of SkC is therefore unlikely or is masked by natural fluctuations in SkC. The similar changes in SkC concentrations in the control and treatment groups should be analyzed more precisely. Potential explanations include inappropriate drug intake as well as technical failures in test performance. The hypothesis of noncompliance with drug intake in the statin groups can be dismissed in light of the significant decrease in serum lipid concentrations (ϳ30%). Technical failure in the execution of the skin test is also not a probable explanation because the mean (SD) SkC concentrations in our study are comparable to previously published data (6 – 8). Another potential explanation might be the effect of seasonal variation, but a significant effect seems unlikely, especially if we consider that SkC fluctuations of 11%, even within 1 day, have been reported and that comparable natural fluctuations of 12% were observed in the present study over the total study period of 9 months (6). Nevertheless, based on our present study design, we cannot completely exclude the hypothesis of an additional seasonal influence on SkC. In summary, SkC concentrations exhibit significant biological fluctuations, and statin therapy leads to comparable decreases in SkC concentrations. for providing the tests. References 1. MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study of cholesterol lowering with simvastatin in 20,536 high-risk individuals: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Association of skin cholesterol content, measured by a non-invasive method, with markers of inflammation and Framingham risk prediction. The HER-2 gene (HER-2/neu or c-erbB-2) encodes an 185-kDa transmembrane glycoprotein that is a member of the type I family of growth factor receptors. HER-2 is constitutively activated by overexpression and contributes to cell growth, angiogenesis, survival, and metastasis (1). The assessment of HER-2 status in breast carcinomas provides valuable prognostic and predictive information. Immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ hybridiza-tion, chromosomal in situ hybridization, and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) may be used for this purpose. Other approaches have been proposed for the assessment of HER-2 status in peripheral blood, including evaluating either circulating HER-2 extracellular domain (ECD) or nucleated cell-associated HER-2 mRNA. Some studies have indicated that circulating ECD/HER-2 is frequently increased in metastatic disease (2– 4). In addition , high concentrations of ECD/HER-2 are associated with cancer aggressiveness (5) and predict response to trastuzumab (6 – 8) and antiestrogen (4) therapies in advanced breast cancer. Recently, Martin et al. (9), using an array to assess circulating mRNA, pointed out that HER-2 mRNA …