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Annals of Surgical Oncology
Published in: Annals of Surgical Oncology 9/2013

01-09-2013 | Breast Oncology

Fibrotic Focus in Breast Carcinomas: Relationship with Prognostic Parameters and Biomarkers

Authors: S. Shafaq Mujtaba, FCPS, Yun-Bi Ni, MMSc, Julia Y. S. Tsang, PhD, Siu-Ki Chan, FHKCPath, Rin Yamaguchi, MD, PhD, Maki Tanaka, MD, Puay-Hoon Tan, FRCPath, Gary M. Tse, FRCPC

Published in: Annals of Surgical Oncology | Issue 9/2013

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Abstract

Background

Fibrotic focus (FF) has been observed in breast cancers and is suggested to be an important prognostic marker. However, most of these observations were reported by the same group of investigators with similar sample cohort. The relationship of FF and molecular subtypes as well as its associated prognosis has not been elucidated.

Methods

In this study, 450 cases of breast carcinomas were evaluated for the presence of FF and its association with clinicopathologic parameters and biomarkers.

Results

FF was found in 18.7 % of all consecutive cases. FF was associated positively with infiltrative margins (p = 0.03) but negatively with extensive in situ component (p < 0.001) and lymphocytic infiltration (p < 0.001). It was positively associated with estrogen receptor (p = 0.007) but negatively with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2; p = 0.001), epidermal growth factor receptor (p = 0.021), Ki-67 (p = 0.001), and c-kit (p = 0.009). Concomitantly, FF was seen more commonly in luminal A cancers (p < 0.001) but less so in luminal B (p = 0.045) and HER2-overexpressing cancers (p = 0.011). Analysis on patient outcome (median 41 months, range 1–69 months) indicated that FF was an independent poor prognostic factor for disease-free survival (hazard ratio = 2.57; 95 % confidence interval = 1.267–5.214, p = 0.009), particularly in the luminal B subtype.

Conclusions

The findings suggested that FF is associated with specific tumor morphology of an infiltrative, stellate pattern (typical invasive ductal carcinoma-not otherwise specified) rather than round, cellular mass with intense lymphocytic infiltrate (basal-like breast cancers). The poor prognostic implication of FF is additional and independent of other adverse prognostic indicators.
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Metadata
Title
Fibrotic Focus in Breast Carcinomas: Relationship with Prognostic Parameters and Biomarkers
Authors
S. Shafaq Mujtaba, FCPS
Yun-Bi Ni, MMSc
Julia Y. S. Tsang, PhD
Siu-Ki Chan, FHKCPath
Rin Yamaguchi, MD, PhD
Maki Tanaka, MD
Puay-Hoon Tan, FRCPath
Gary M. Tse, FRCPC
Publication date
01-09-2013
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Annals of Surgical Oncology / Issue 9/2013
Print ISSN: 1068-9265
Electronic ISSN: 1534-4681
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-013-2955-0

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