EGFR overexpression relates to triple negative profile and poor prognosis in breast cancer patients in Tunisia

Abstract

Background: The prognosis of breast carcinoma is related to a large variety of clinical and pathological factors. Currently, only oestrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) are used in routine pathological assessment as biomarkers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression individually and in combination to classical biomarkers (HER2, ER, and PR), and its relation to tumors with triple negative profile in Tunisian breast carcinoma.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to estimate the rate expression of these receptors. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore the prognostic significance of EGFR in this study.

Results: The expression rate of EGFR was 28.6%. EGFR expression was inversely correlated to that of ER (P < 0.001). Significant correlations between the expression of EGFR and the high histological Scarff-Bloom-Richardson (SBR) grade (P = 0.038) and also with tumors size (P = 0.041) were observed. The triple negative profile (TN: ER−/PR−/HER2−) was present in 17.3% of cases. EGFR overexpression was positively associated with this clinical aggressive profile (P < 0.001). Survival analysis showed that EGFR expression was associated with poor survival of patients (P = 0.004). In multivariate analysis, EGFR expression (P = 0.035) was found to be independent prognostic factors (significantly correlated to survival).

Conclusion: EGFR overexpression was observed in 28.6% of Tunisian breast carcinoma, associated with unfavorable prognosis and with triple negative tumors. Systemically evaluation of EGFR in breast carcinoma could benefit especially to TN subgroup from EGFR targeting agents.

Keywords::

• Breast carcinoma
• EGFR
• triple negative profile
• prognosis

Acknowledgments

We thank all of the clinicians and pathologists at Habib BOURGUIBA Hospital, for their technical assistance and clinical data collection. We also thank Mrs Salma Hamza, for the language editing of the text.

Declaration of interest

This work was supported by grants from the Ministry of Higher education, Scientific Research and Technology, Tunisia.