HER-2/Neu Oncogene in Endometrial Cancer

Abstract

Maather Baqer Hussein Al-Harmooshee

This analytical study was performed to estimate the overexpression and potential associations between the HER-2neu oncoprotein in endometrial carcinoma of Middle Iraq and estrogen and progesterone, as well as the relevant pathological parameters. We analyzed the available tissue paraffin blocks of 60 patients with endometrial carcinoma who referred between January 2016 and December 2018 to hospitals of central Iraq governorates / pathology departments. The age ranges from 50 to 78 years (47 cases 78.3% was up to 60 & 13 cases 21.7 was more than 60) with mean of 64. most of the cases was post menapousal in 80.4% and 16.6% was peri menapousal. 80% of cases was by hysterectomy & 20% of cases was by curettage. The cases were classified into grade I, II and III according to the grading system in 12, 38 and 10 cases respectively & out of 48 cases of hysterectomy, 36 cases were in stage I, 4 cases were in stage II & 8 cases were in stage III. A total of 19 (32 per cent) cases were positive for ER oncogene overexpression, 36 (60 per cent) positive for PR oncogene overexpression and 40 (66.6 per cent) positive for HER-2neu oncoprotein overexpression. Low age groups of the endometrial carcinoma studied cases were linked to increased expression of PR & ER, 12 (63.1%) cases with ER positive & 23 cases (63.8%) with PR positive with age group less than 60 years old while high age groups of the endometrial carcinoma studied cases were linked to increased expression of HER-2/neu, 25 (62.5%) cases were positive. Postmenopausal cases of the endometrial carcinoma studied cases were linked to high expression of HER-2/neu, ER & PR, 13 (68.4%) ER cases, 28 (77.7%) PR cases & 34 (85%) HER-2/neu cases were positive. High histological grades of the endometrial carcinoma studied cases were linked to over expression of HER-2/neu & ER. 9 (22.5%) HER-2/neu cases & 2 (10.5%) ER cases were positive with a grade I tumor, 25 (62.5%) HER-2/neu cases & 11 (57.8%) ER cases were positive with grade II, and 6 (15%) HER-2/neu cases & 6 cases(31.5%) ER cases were positive with grade III.
While low histological grades of the endometrial carcinoma studied cases were associated with increased expression of PR receptors, 9 cases (25%) of positive cases in grade I, 22 cases (61.1%) in grade II & 5 cases (13.8%) in grade III. Low stages of the 48 hysterectomies endometrial carcinoma studied cases had increased expression of HER-2/neu, ER& PR. 30 (81%) HER-2/neu cases, 12 cases (63.1%) ER cases & 20 (17.4%) PR cases were positive with stage I tumor, 3 (8.1%) of HER-2/neu cases, 1 (5.2%) of ER cases & 2 (7.1%) cases of PR cases were positive with stage II tumor, and 4 (10.9%) of HER-2/neu cases, 6 cases (31.5%) of ER cases & 6 (21.5%) of PR cases were positive with stage three tumor. The expression of ER&PR, ER & HER- 2 / new & PR & HER-2 / new respectively, have no significant relationship