经他莫昔芬治疗的乳腺癌ER、PR阳性率和染色强度与预后的关系

目的 分析经他莫昔芬治疗的乳腺癌ER和PR的阳性率和染色强度与患者预后的关系及免疫组化检测结果 的重复性,探讨ER和PR检测后理想的报告方法.方法 采用全自动免疫组化BenchMark XT染色系统检测223例经他莫昔芬治疗的乳腺癌组织中ER和PR的表达,分析阳性率和染色强度与患者预后的相关性;对其中30例进行ER重复染色和3位医师重复判读的对比分析.结果 (1)Kaplan-Meier法描绘生存曲线分析显示,ER高阳性率组(67%～100%)、中阳性率组(34%～66%)患者的无瘤生存率和总体生存率明显好于低阳性率组(1%～33%)(P=0.007,P=0.003);PR高阳性率组(67%～100%)、中阳性率组(34%～66%)患者的无瘤生存率和总体生存率明显好于低阳性率组(1%～33%)(P=0.004,P=0.005).(2)Kappa分析显示,3位医师间ER阳性率重复性较好(0.727、0.733、0.710),肿瘤细胞染色强度重复性一般(0.593、0.620、0.610).结论 乳腺癌组织中ER、PR阳性率与内分泌治疗疗效和预后关系密切,且阳性率也有较好的重复性.病理诊断报告除应阐明乳腺癌细胞ER、PR阳性/阴性的定性结果 外,纳入阳性率信息是必要的,肿瘤细胞染色强度是否需要纳入值得进一步研究.     

90例乳腺良性病变组织中ER和PR的表达

应用免疫组化方法对９０例良性乳腺病变组织进行ＥＲ、ＰＲ的检测。结果，ＥＲ阳性率为８４．４％，ＰＲ为８３．３％，与同期乳腺癌的ＥＲ和ＰＲ阳性率比较有非常显著性意义，ＥＲ阳性以纤维腺瘤，导管内乳头状瘤，囊性乳腺增生症最为常见，小叶内增生ＥＲ阳性相对减少，同时对乳腺组织间质存在前背景染色问题加以讨论。     

乳腺癌复发转移灶与原发灶中ER、PR、HER-2、p53、Ki-67的表达差异

目的 探讨ER、PR、HER-2、p53、Ki-67在乳腺癌复发转移灶与原发灶中的表达差异。方法 采用免疫组化En Vision两步法检测156例乳腺癌原发病灶及对应的复发或转移灶中ER、PR、HER-2、p53及Ki-67的表达,比较各指标的表达差异,并分析发生局部复发或远处转移的乳腺癌临床病理特征及与原发癌相比与各指标表达的一致性。结果 乳腺癌局部复发组和远处转移组与肿瘤分期(P=0.015)、肿瘤直径(P=0.005)差异有显著性;与患者年龄、组织学分级和腋窝淋巴结状态的差异无显著性(P0.05)。复发转移灶ER、PR阳性率比原发灶均有所下降,但差异无显著性;ER、PR表达不一致(分别为18.6%、19.2%),差异有显著性(P=0.024,P=0.043);原发灶与复发转移灶HER-2表达有较高的一致性,表达不一致占5.1%;原发灶与复发转移灶p53的阳性率差异不大,p53表达不一致占14.1%;复发转移灶Ki-67高表达者比原发灶多,Ki-67表达不一致占30.8%,差异有显著性(P0.001)。局部复发组和远处转移组各指标表达不一致的差异无显著性。结论 乳腺癌原发灶与复发转移灶ER、PR和Ki-67表达存在不一致性,HER-2表达有较高一致性。因此,检测乳腺癌复发转移灶中各指标表达对治疗方案选择和预后有重要意义。     

EGR-1、c-erbB-2、ER、PR在乳腺癌中的表达及其相互关系

目的：探讨早期生长反应基因（ＥＧＲ－１）在乳腺癌的表达及其与癌基因ｃ－ｅｒｂＢ－２和ＥＲ、ＰＲ的关系。方法：应用免疫组织化学ＳＡＢＣ法,以ＥＧＲ－１、ｃ－ｅｒｂＢ－２、ＥＲ、ＰＲ抗体标记７５例不同病变的乳腺组织。结果：乳奶性病变可见相对高水平的ＥＧＲ－１表达而乳腺癌ＥＧＲ－１阳性仅１９例（４２．２％）,ＥＧＲ－１表达与乳腺癌淋巴结转移和ＥＲ、ＰＲ表达有关（Ｐ〈０．０５,Ｐ〈０．０１）,与ｃ－ｅｒｂ     

不同温度下环保透明剂对乳腺癌石蜡组织中ER/PR表达的影响

环保透明剂对人体无毒无害,透明效果较好,已广泛应用于石蜡组织制片技术中[1,2],并有替代二甲苯的趋势[3,4]。作者发现在冬季室温较低的环境下,与其他季节相比,经环保透明剂透明处理的乳腺癌石蜡组织在进行免疫组化检测时,出现ER、PR阳性表达明显下降现象;在排除组织处理过程中其它影响因素后,将环保透明剂预温(25℃)后再进行组织透明处理, ER、PR 的表达恢复到平均水平。关于环保透明剂处理组织时的温度对免疫组化抗体表达结果的影响,国内少见报道。因此,本文采用不同温度环保透明剂分组透明处理实验组织,结合免疫组化,探讨环保透明剂在不同温度下透明处理的乳腺癌石蜡组织中ER、PR表达的差异性,结果报道如下。     

子宫腔粘连患者子宫内膜组织中ER、PR的表达及意义

目的：探讨雌激素受体( ER)、孕激素受体( PR)在子宫腔粘连( intrauterine adheious, IUA)患者子宫内膜组织中的表达及其临床意义。方法采用免疫组化MaxVision两步法和实时荧光定量PCR( qRT-PCR)技术检测IUA组(研究组)和非IUA组(对照组)子宫内膜组织中ER、PR的表达水平。结果免疫组化检测显示ER蛋白在研究组(3．52±0．71)和对照组(2．75±1．00)中的表达差异有统计学意义(P=0．01);qRT-PCR法检测显示ER mRNA在研究组(1．59±0．26)和对照组(1．00±0．19)中的表达差异有统计学意义(P=0．00)。免疫组化检测显示PR蛋白在研究组(3．26±0．70)和对照组(3．58±0．28)中的表达差异无统计学意义(P=0．12);qRT-PCR法检测显示PR mRNA在研究组(1．15±0．21)和对照组(1．00±0．31)中的表达差异无统计学意义(P=0．21)。免疫组化检测显示ER、PR蛋白分别在子宫内膜腺体和子宫内膜间质中均有表达,差异有统计学意义(χ2=5．797,P=0．016;χ2=4．857,P=0．027)。结论子宫内膜组织中ER表达研究组高于对照组,PR在两组之间的表达无差异;ER、PR蛋白在两组子宫内膜腺体中表达较多,在子宫内膜间质中表达较少甚至不表达;ER、PR表达的特点为IUA患者临床使用雌、孕激素治疗提供一定的理论参考。     

乳腺癌超声表现与ER、PR、C-erbB-2、P53的关系及意义

目的：探讨乳腺癌超声表现与ER、PR、C-erbB-2、P53的关系及意义。方法应用二维及彩色多普勒超声对108例乳腺癌病灶超声改变进行研究;运用免疫组化法检测雌激素受体(estrogen receptor,ER)、孕激素受体(progesterone receptor,PR)、基因蛋白C-erbB-2(原癌基因)和P53(突变型)的表达状态,将该108例病灶的超声表现与病理组织学进行对照研究。结果ER、PR、C-erbB-2、P53的阳性表达率与病灶大小、血流分级、淋巴结有无转移及周边组织有无浸润有相关性。结论乳腺癌超声声像图表现与ER、PR、C-erbB-2、P53表达密切相关,病灶的超声特点对乳腺癌诊断有提示作用,对评价乳腺癌的预后有较为重要的意义。     

不同ER、PR状态乳腺癌中AR的表达及其意义

目的探讨AR在不同ER、PR状态乳腺癌中的表达及意义。方法采用免疫组化方法检测AR、ER、PR在173例乳腺癌中的表达,依据结果分组:(1)AR状态分组:AR阳性组和AR阴性组;(2)ER、PR状态分组:En组(ER、PR均阴性)、Ep组[ER和(或)PR阳性];(3)AR、ER、PR联合分组:En-AR+(En组且AR阳性)、En-AR-(En组且AR阴性)、Ep-AR+(Ep组且AR阳性)、Ep-AR-(Ep组且AR阴性),其中En-AR-又称为均阴性组,其他三组统称为部分或完全阳性组。不同分组方法比较与临床病理特征的关系。结果Ep组AR阳性率62.8%(54/86),En组AR阳性率37.9%(33/87),两组差异有显著性(P=0.001),AR阳性组体积小、核分裂少、组织学分级低(P0.05);En-AR-组表现为核分裂多、组织学分级高(P0.01),此外En组内AR阳性者核分裂少、组织学分级低(P0.05),Ep组内AR阳性者临床分期高(P=0.000),En-AR+、Ep-AR+、Ep-AR-比较均无差异。结论AR在不同激素状态乳腺癌中表达的意义不同,ER、PR均阴性乳腺癌表达AR者预后较好,ER、PR阳性乳腺癌表达AR者临床分期高。在选择针对性药物时应考虑到不同激素受体状态的组合。     

浸润性乳腺癌中AR的表达及其预后意义

目的探讨乳腺癌中AR表达与临床病理特征的关系及预后意义。方法采用免疫组化EnVision法检测584例浸润性乳腺癌中AR、ER、PR、HER-2及Ki-67的表达,对比分析AR表达与临床病理特征及预后的相关性。结果单因素分析显示,584例乳腺癌中AR阳性率为86.5%,AR表达与患者年龄、肿块大小、WHO分级、ER、PR、Ki-67、HER-2、分子分型有关(P0.05)。多因素Logistics回归分析显示,AR表达与患者年龄、WHO分级、ER、HER-2有关(P0.05)。生存分析表明,ER~+/AR~+组患者无复发生存(relapse free survival, RFS)、总生存(overall survival, OS)、无远处转移生存(distant metastasis-free survival, DMFS)明显高于ER~+/AR~-组(P0.05);ER~-/AR~+组患者的RFS、OS、DMFS则明显低于ER~-/AR~-组(P0.05)。结论 AR在浸润性乳腺癌中有较高的阳性率,AR在ER~-和ER~+这两类乳腺癌发生、发展中的生物学功能有明显差异,ER~+/AR~+乳腺癌患者与ER~-/AR~+者相比,有更好的预后。     

乳腺浸润性导管癌中ER、PR、Her-2、Ki-67表达与病理特征及预后的相关性

目的 探究Ki-67、ER、PR、Her-2等基因在乳腺浸润性导管癌（IDC）组织中的表达,分析其与患者临床病理特征及预后的相关性。方法 收集2013年1月~2014年12月广东医科大学附属医院病理科乳腺包埋石蜡块IDC组织74例。采用免疫组织化学法检测ER、PR、Her-2、Ki-67在IDC组织中的表达,分析其与患者年龄、组织学分级、TNM分期、淋巴结转移及预后的相关性。结果 ①不同年龄、组织学分级、淋巴结转移及TNM分期的IDC患者ER、PR表达情况比较,差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05）;未发生淋巴结转移的IDC患者Her-2表达低于转移患者,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;不同年龄、组织学分级、TNM分期的IDC患者Her-2表达比较,差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）;不同TNM分期的IDC患者Ki-67表达情况比较,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）,不同年龄、组织学分级、淋巴结转移的IDC患者Ki-67表达比较,差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。 ②Spearman相关性分析显示,ER与PR正相关,ER与Her-2、PR与Her-2负相关,ER、Ki-67和PR、Ki-67负相关,Her-2与Ki-67正相关。③Ki-67阳性表达的IDC患者病死率高于Ki-67阴性表达的患者,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;不同ER、PR、Her-2表达情况的IDC患者病死率比较,差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）;Ki-67阴性表达患者的总生存时间（OS）高于阳性表达患者,COX多因素分析显示,Ki-67阳性表达是影响IDC患者OS的独立因素（95%CI:0.212~0.865,P=0.018）。结论 Ki-67可作为乳腺浸润性导管癌危险评估的分子标志物,其阳性表达可影响乳腺癌患者的预后。ER、PR、Her-2的表达对乳腺浸润性导管癌患者的预后没有明显影响。     

乳腺癌组织中ERα mRNA和PR mRNA检测方法的建立和应用

建立测定雌激素受体α(ERα)mRNA和孕激素受体(PR)mRNA的实时荧光定量RT-PCR,探讨两者在乳腺癌组织及良性乳腺肿瘤组织中的表达水平。分别以pMD18 ERα和pMD18-PR质粒为定量模板,用循环阈值(Ct)定量起始模板,在荧光TaqMan方法的基础上建立了测定ERαmRNA和PR mRNA的实时荧光定量RT-PCR,并分别测定48例乳腺癌组织及28例良性乳腺肿瘤组织中ERαmRNA和PR mRNA的表达水平。ERαmRNA和PR mRNA测定的线性范围为10~3～10~8copy/μg RNA;ERαmRNA和PR mRNA高值和低值的批内和批间变异系数(CV)在5.07%～11.28%之间。ER mRNA在乳腺癌组织中的表达量为6.76×10~5copy/μg RNA(4.17×10~5,9.34×10~5),良性乳腺肿瘤组织中的含量为1.54×10~5 copy/μg RNA(1.02×10~5,2.06×10~5),乳腺癌组织的表达量高于良性组织(P<0.05);PR mRNA在乳腺癌组织中的表达量为1.02×10~6copy/μg RNA(6.81×10~5,1.36×10~6),良性乳腺肿瘤组织中的含量为4.93×10~5 copy/μg RNA(3.21×10~5,6.65×10~5),两者表达无明显差异(P>0.05)。ERαmRNA和PR mRNA在乳腺癌和良性乳腺肿瘤组织中的表达存在相关性。我们建立的测定ERαmRNA和PR mRNA的实时荧光定量RT PCR灵敏、稳定、重复性好,可供临床检测和研究。ERαmRNA和PR mRNA基因表达水平可作为预测治疗效果及判断预后的重要指标。     

A study to determine the incidence of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression in different histological grades of breast cancer

Abstract

Carcinoma of the breast is the most common non-skin malignancy in women and second most common cause of death due to cancer in females. Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with varied morphological appearances, molecular features, behavior, and response to therapy. This study was conducted with the aim of analysis of steroid receptor status in breast cancer and its association with other prognostic factors of breast cancer such as histological grade, tumor size, and axillary lymph node status. Fifty patients with the diagnosis of breast cancer were included in this study. Detailed clinical and histopathologic data were recorded in all cases. Estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Histological grading was done with Nottingham modification of the Bloom and Richardson method. Fisher’s exact test and chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. On immunohistochemical staining, 44% cases proved to be ER positive and 48% cases PR positive. The results from the present study in India documented low ER and PR positivity in breast cancer in comparison to results from the western world. An inverse relation was found between hormone receptor (HR) status and histological grading, but no statistically significant relationship was noted between HR expression and tumor size and lymph node status.     

Estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2 expression pre- and post- neoadjuvant chemotherapy in primary breast carcinoma: a single institutional experience

Background

The estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2 profile of a primary breast carcinoma plays a significant role in patient management and treatment. Because of the increasing utilization of neoadjuvant chemotherapy or hormone therapy, surgically-resected carcinomas often show marked treatment effect. The aim of this study was to compare immunohistochemical (IHC) profiles (ER, PR, HER2, HER2 FISH) of primary breast carcinomas before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy to assess the subsequent effects on hormone receptor status.

Design

Primary breast carcinomas from 38 female patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy after needle core biopsy or fine needle aspiration diagnosis were included. Histologic data was collected for each case, including site, type, grade, tumor size (cm), pre- and post- neoadjuvant treatment IHC panel (ER, PR, HER2), and fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) for HER2.

Results

Of the 38 carcinomas studied, 45 % were positive for ER by IHC both pre- and post- neoadjuvant treatment (P=1.00). IHC studies for PR in these 38 patients showed 37% positivity for PR pre-neoadjuvant therapy and 21% positivity post-treatment (p=0.03). For 37 patients with HER2 IHC, 32% were positive pre-treatment, and 22% were positive post-treatment (P = 0.20). For 7 patients, HER2 FISH was positive in 71% pre-therapy and in 57% post-treatment (P=0.32).

Conclusions

Profiles for ER, HER2 IHC, and HER2 FISH were not significantly different in primary breast carcinomas before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Further investigation is warranted to assess reproducibility of technique and investigate clinical implications of significant loss of PR status in treated patients.     

Immunohistochemical detection of estrogen receptor,progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 in formalin‐fixed breast carcinoma cell block preparations: Correlation of results to corresponding tissue block (needle core and excision) samples

Evaluation of ER, PR and Her 2 are routinely performed on breast carcinomas. For accurate detection of these markers, compliance with the ASCO/CAP guidelines is recommended. Our previous study showed that alcohol fixation did not affect ER results when alcohol‐fixed cell block (CB) sections were compared to formalin‐fixed tissue sections, while PR and Her2 showed less concordance. The aim of this study was to evaluate and to compare ER, PR and Her2 IHC results on formalin‐fixed CB sections to those observed on subsequent surgical (needle core or resection) specimens (SS). Fifty cases of formalin fixed CB samples obtained from primary (18%) and metastatic (82%) breast carcinomas were studied, all of which had subsequent SS available. ER, PR, and Her2 IHC studies were done on all samples and results were compared. ER results on formalin‐fixed CB samples showed excellent correlation with SS (correlation coefficient cc = 0.82). While there was minimal improvement in PR results (cc = 0.433), Her2 detection did not improve by formalin fixation (cc = 0.439). Formalin fixation for CB preparations does not significantly improve the already good detection of ER positive breast tumors. The concordance rate in PR and IHC results between formalin‐fixed CB and SS samples showed improvement as compared with the alcohol‐fixed CB results. However, there was no improvement in detection of Her2 overexpression by using formalin fixation on cytology specimens. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Reliability of Her2/neu, estrogen receptor, and progesterone receptor testing by immunohistochemistry on cell block of FNA and serous effusions from patients with primary and metastatic breast carcinoma

The prognostic and predictive value of Her2/neu and the hormone receptors in patient with primary or metastatic breast cancer is essential for a favorable outcome of treatment. We have been experiencing increasing requests to test cytologic specimens for these markers in patients with metastatic breast carcinoma. A recent study threw some doubts on the validity of such testing using cell blocks. In this study we compared our immunohistochemical Her2/neu, ER and PR testing performed on 42 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cell blocks from 27 fine needle aspirations (FNA) and 15 serous effusions of 42 patients with metastatic (n = 38) and primary (n = 4) breast carcinoma to the test results obtained on tissue sections. In seven cases the Her2/neu immunohistochemistry (IHC) results on cell blocks were also compared with Her2/neu fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on tissue or cell block. The study revealed 100% correlation for positive and negative Her2/neu results. For ER testing the results showed 85.7% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 100% positive predictive value (PPV), and 85.7% negative predictive value (NPV). For PR testing the results showed 80% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 100% PPV, and 88.8% NPV respectively. In conclusion, IHC for Her2/neu, ER and PR performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cell blocks prepared from fresh FNA and serous fluid is reliable in predicting the expression of these markers when correlated with IHC and FISH performed on the corresponding tumor tissue.     

乳腺癌中E-cadherin的表达及其临床病理意义

目的 探讨上皮钙黏附表（E-cadherin，E-cad）与乳腺癌临床病理和生物学行为的关系。方法 用免疫组化S-P法检测乳腺浸润性导管癌和浸润性小叶癌中E-cad的表达情况及其与淋巴结转移，ER-PR表达水平的相关性。结果 乳腺浸润性导管癌E-cad表达高于浸润性小叶瘤，有淋巴结转移者E-cad表达低于无转移者，E-cad高表达的乳腺浸润性导管癌及浸润性小肾癌中均与ER-PR表达水平成正相关。结论 E-cad中作为乳腺癌分类、转移潜能和预后判断的参考指标。     

原位杂交检测乳腺癌雌激素受体mRNA的表达

目的：检测乳腺癌组织中雌激素受体ｍＲＮＡ的表达状况。方法：采用地高辛配基标记探针的非同位素原位杂交技术检测了１５列乳腺癌组织冰冻切片。结果：蓝紫色的阳性染色颗粒位于癌细胞的胞浆及胞核，背景清晰。并且与葡萄糖包裹活性碳及免疫组化法检测雌激素受体的阳阴性符合率分别为９３．３％和１００％。结论：该方法是一特异、灵敏、简单易行的研究雌激素受体ｍＲＮＡ表达水平的有效手段。     

Evaluation of new monoclonal antibodies in detection of estrogen receptor,progesterone receptor,and Her2 protein expression in breast carcinoma cell block sections using conventional microscopy and quantitative image analysis

Accurate assessment of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and Her2 status of breast carcinomas is critical for predicting response to systemic therapies. Recently, developed rabbit monoclonal antibodies (RMab) are reported to have higher sensitivity than murine monoclonal antibodies (Mab). This study compares RMabs against FDA‐approved Mab (FMab) in breast carcinoma cell block sections using visual and image quantification. Cell blocks from 52 breast cancers were studied. Immunohistochemistry using RMab (ER, PR, and Her2) was compared with FMabs (ER, PR, Dako) and HercepTest (HerFDA). Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was used as a reference standard for Her2. Slides were later scanned and reanalyzed with an automated cellular imaging system (ACIS III, Dako). Frequency of ER (38.5% vs. 36.5% for visual; 55.8% vs. 57.7% for image) and PR (28.8% vs. 36.5% for visual; 50% vs. 51.9% for image), and concordance (overall agreement is 71.2% and 75% for visual and image ER; and 84.6% and 59.6% for visual and image PR) were similar for both FMab and RMab, respectively. Overall agreement (53.8% vs. 77.1% for visual and image detection, respectively, using HerFDA and RMab) is poor to moderate for Her2. Visual Her2 (RMab) has the highest concordance (94.1%), and visual HerFDA has the lowest concordance (35.3%) with FISH. ER and PR analysis (FMab vs. RMab) are almost comparable using both detection methods with good overall agreement. For Her2 overexpression, RMab proved to be superior to HerFDA and showed excellent agreement with FISH results with both quantitative detection methods. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

乳腺癌组织层粘连蛋白受体表达的预后意义

目的：为了观察层粘连层白受体与乳腺癌临床和病理参数之间的关系，以及对患者生存的影响。方法：用免疫组织化学ＬＳＡＢ法检测了１０９例乳腺癌原位灶组织和其中３７例淋巴结转移灶组织中层粘连蛋白受体（ＬＲ）的表达情况，结果：在乳腺癌原发灶中有６０例（５５．０４％）阳性，淋巴结转移灶中３１例（８３．７８％）阳性，两者表达率之间的差异有显著性意义。ＬＲ表达与患者年龄、组织分级、肿瘤坏死和核分裂无显著关系。有淋巴     

SHP2 is up-regulated in breast cancer cells and in infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast, implying its involvement in breast oncogenesis

Aims: To determine whether Src homology phosphotyrosyl phosphatase 2 (SHP2) is up‐regulated in breast cancer and, if so, to determine whether its up‐regulation has any relationship with clinical variables of breast cancer. Methods and results: Immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence microscopy were used to assess the state of SHP2 expression in breast cancer cells and in infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) of breast. The possible role of SHP2 in breast cancer cell transformation was determined by dominant‐negative expression and anchorage‐independent growth assays. All of the breast cancer cell lines tested and 72% of IDC breast tumours analysed had increased amounts of the SHP2 protein. In support of its positive role, dominant‐negative SHP2 blocked anchorage‐independent growth of breast cancer cells. Furthermore, overexpression of SHP2 seemed to have a positive relationship to HER2 overexpression, nuclear accumulation of hormone receptors, higher tumour grade and lymph node metastasis, but not to age of breast cancer patients. Conclusion: SHP2 is a widely overexpressed signalling protein in IDC breast tumours. Given SHP2’s positive role in cell growth, transformation and stem cell survival, the positive relationship of its overexpression to lymph node metastasis, nuclear accumulation of hormone receptors and higher tumour grade suggests that SHP2 promotes breast oncogenesis.