Soluble c-erbB-2 fragment in serum correlates with disease stage and predicts for shortened survival in patients with early-stage and advanced breast cancer. |
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Authors: | H. Kandl L. Seymour W. R. Bezwoda |
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Affiliation: | Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. |
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Abstract: | Seventy-nine patients with advanced breast cancer were tested for the presence, in serum, of a 110 kDa soluble, c-erbB-2 fragment. Thirty-nine patients were seropositive. There was no correlation between seropositivity and menopausal status, or with oestrogen status. In addition, no correlation could be found between tissue c-erbB-2 immunostaining for the external domain of the c-erbB-2 receptor and the presence of soluble c-erbB-2 in serum. The presence of serum soluble c-erbB-2, however, had a significant impact on survival of patients with advanced disease, suggesting that this test may become a useful independent prognostic indicator. |
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