are her2+ (and/or EGFR+) tumors more radioresistant (ie radiation therapy doesn't

Lani · 10-31-2006, 05:14 PM

In the current study, there was no difference in local recurrence rates between patients whose tumors did or did not overexpress HER-2. To date there have been no local recurrence events in the HER-2-positive patients at a median follow-up of 5.5 years, and local recurrences have occurred in 2% of HER-2-negative patients. These data suggest that HER-2 overexpression is not associated with a strong clinical radioresistance phenomenon. The use of BCT in women with early stage HER-2-positive tumors should therefore be considered a reasonable treatment option. Limitations on these conclusions are conferred by relatively small patient numbers, particularly in the HER-2-positive group, the need for longer follow-up, and the variable HER-2 testing and scoring methods used over the study period.

This study also found no difference in survival outcomes, including overall survival, relapse-free survival, cause-specific survival, and distant disease-free survival. More than 70 studies have found an adverse correlation between HER-2 overexpression and prognosis or survival compared to HER-2-negative breast cancers (28). That other negative prognostic features were not strongly associated with HER-2 overexpression in the current study should not be interpreted as contradicting the established literature. Rather, the relatively small patient numbers in the HER-2-positive group and limited follow-up time may have contributed to the lack of differences between the two groups.