HER-2 Expression in Pancreatic Duct Adenocarcinoma

Evaluation of Immunohistochemical Expression of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER 2) and Its Association With Clinicopathological Variables in Patients With Pancreatic Duct Adenocarcinoma in Upper Egypt

Pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma is a highly aggressive carcinoma that is associated with a poor prognosis. Detection of novel biological markers that are specifically over expressed in pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma and their subsequent targeting by anti cancer therapeutic modalities may improve patient's survival.

Pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly neoplasm that showed current increase in its occurrence. There are many challenges in PDAC; the tumor is frequently associated with perineural invasion and angioinvasion, these lead to early metastasis.Another important challenge is that the tumor is associated with extensive fibrosis that prevents arrival of chemotherapeutic agents. Most modern anti-cancer therapeutic modalities depend on the biologic signature of the tumor. Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) is a cell surface protein that is associated with enhanced cellular proliferation. HER-2 has been detected and successfully targeted in many human carcinomas as breast and gastric cancers. we aimed to evaluate the potential cancer-promoting effect of HER-2 in PDAC, in order to detect any possible benefits of its targeting by future therapeutic modalities.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Cases of PDAC who underwent radical operations.
2. Tissue blocks with sufficient material.
3. Cases with available clinical data.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Cases of pancreatic carcinoma other than PDAC.
2. Patients who received preoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
3. Patients with PDAC who were diagnosed by tru-cut biopsies only and didn't undergo radical operations.
4. Cases with insufficient/destructed material.
5. Patients with inadequate clinical data.