The Analysis of HER-2/neu Gene Status and Correlation with Other Clinico-Pathologic Fac- tors for Breast Cancer Using Tissue Microarray

Purpose: The main clinical significance of HER-2/neu gene amplification is derived from its use as (a) a prognostic indicator, (b) a predictive factor for the sensitivity to chemo-therapy, and (c) the identification of cases that are eligible for a specific therapy targeting the HER-2/neu protein. Over-expression of HER-2/neu has been shown to be associated with a poor prognosis for patients with node-positive breast cancer and also possibly for patients with node-negative breast cancer. The purpose of this work was to analyze the HER-2/neu gene amplification and correlate it with other clinico-pathologic parameters. Methods: The study population consisted of 194 patients with breast cancer who had been treated with curative surgery at the Kangdong Sacred Hospital, Seoul, Korea from 1995 to 2000. Paraffin-embedded tissue samples from th