Molecular typing of breast cancer in Northern Henan Province
Authors: Zhao Hui , Ma Haibin , Chen Bangze , Li Yahui , Yang Junzheng 
Published: July 2021

Objective

Investigating and analyzing the clinical features of breast cancer patients in Northern Henan Province, measuring expression of biomarkers (ER, PR, HER2 and Ki-67) and classified the molecular typing of breast cancer patients, to understand the molecular typing distribution and correlation between biomarkers of breast cancer patients in North Henan Province, which may provide the information for the local oncologist to make sound treatment plans.

Methods

We collected the clinical data of breast cancer patients in Xinxiang Central Hospital from 2016 to 2021, those data was classified by gender and pathological types of breast cancer patients; and we also measured and analyzed the expression of breast cancer related biomarkers (ER, PR, HER2 and Ki-67) by immunohistochemistry, and based on expression of these biomarkers, the molecular typing of breast cancer were also classified.

Results

3210 cases breast cancer patients were collected in this study; there were 3205 female patients and 5 male patients, accounting for 99.84% and 0.16% in total breast cancer patients, respectively. Classification according to pathological conditions of breast cancer patients, there were 2761 cases patients with invasive ductal carcinoma, accounting for 86.01% in total breast cancer patients, and then mucinous adenocarcinoma (109/3210, 3.40%), lobular carcinoma (106/3210, 3.30%), ductal carcinoma in situ (75/3210, 2.34%), papillary carcinoma (61/3210, 1.90%), intraductal carcinoma (40/3210, 1.25%), myeloid carcinoma (27/3210, 0.84%); There were also including some rare breast cancer types including cribriform carcinoma (6/3210, 0.19%), lymph node metastasis (7/3210, 0.22%), occult breast carcinoma (5/3210, 0.14%), invasive carcinoma (5/3210, 0.14%), squamous cell carcinoma (3/3210, 0.09%), fibroadenoma (3/3210, 0.09%), pleomorphic carcinoma (2/3210, 0.06%). Classification according to molecular typing of breast cancer, the number of breast cancer patients with Luminal A type [ER(+)/PR(+) HER2(-)Ki67<14%] were 207 cases, accounting for 6.45% in total breast cancer patients, the number of breast cancer patients with Luminal B type I [ER(+)/PR(+) HER2(-)] were 243 cases, accounting for 7.57% in total breast cancer patients, the number of breast cancer patients with Luminal B type II [(ER(+)/PR(+)HER2(+) any Ki67] was 254 cases, accounting for 7.91% in total breast cancer patients, and the number of Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) were 390 cases, accounting for 12.15% in total breast cancer patients.

The average expression rate of Ki-67 in ER (+) and/or PR (+) breast cancer patients was 20.39+27.33%, while the average expression rate of Ki-67 in ER(-)/PR(-) breast cancer patients was 36.35%+30.14%, and the difference between two patients was significant (p=0.0021); the average expression rate of Ki-67 in HER2 positive breast cancer patients was 23.01%+21.96%, the average expression rate of Ki-67 in HER2 negative breast cancer patients was 29.44%+24.16%, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.2589).

The main treatment methods of breast cancer patients in Northern Henan Province were antitumor drugs and chemotherapy, the results showed that 87.29% patients were treated by chemotherapy; and high frequency anti-tumor drugs used for breast cancer treatment were Epirubicin (1527/3210, 47.57%), Cyclophosphamide (1172/3210, 36.51%),Paclitaxel (1141/3210,35.55%), Tamoxifen (912/3210, 28.41%).

Conclusions

The main pathological type of breast cancer are invasive ductal carcinoma, and the main treatment methods of breast cancer patients in Northern Henan Province were antitumor drugs and chemotherapy. In the four kinds of molecular typing of breast cancer, the incidence rate of TNBC is highest compared with Luminal B type II[(ER(+)/PR(+)HER2(+) any Ki67], Luminal B type I [ER(+)/PR(+)HER2(-)] and Luminal A type [ER(+)/PR(+) HER2(-) Ki67<14%]; these results may provide some suggestions for the local oncologist.