Clinicopathological characteristics of Basal-like Breast Cancer (BLBC): a comparative study between Egyptian and British patients
Institution: Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University
Corresponding Researcher: Heba El-Deek
Data Link(s): NA
Keyword(s): basal like, British patients, comparative study, Egyptian
Summary
BACKGROUND. Clinicopathological features of basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) in African-American women have been extensively studied. Comparatively, less is known about these tumors in patients from countries in the North African region. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and clinicopathological characteristics of BLBC in Egyptian patients in comparison with British patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS. Tissue microarray blocks were constructed from primary invasive breast cancers from 321 Egyptian and 527 British patients with BC. Sections were stained immunohistochemically with estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor 2, CK19, CK14, EGFR, CK5/6, P53, and Ki-67. BLBC phenotype was identified by the lack of staining of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and epidermal growth factor receptor 2, and positive staining for any of the CK14, CK5/6, and/or EGFR. RESULTS. The rate of BLBC phenotype was higher in Egyptian cohort (21%) than the British cohort (13%). BLBC tumors from both Egyptian and British patients were significantly associated with tumors of higher histopathological grade (P<0.001 and <0.001, respectively), higher proliferation rate (P<0.001 and 0.001, respectively), and higher rate of P53 expression (P<0.001 and <0.001, respectively). Compared with the British patients with tumors, BLBC in Egyptian women were significantly of larger tumor size (P<0.001) and were associated with more advanced lymph node stage (P<0.001). CONCLUSION. BLBCs occurred more frequently in Egyptian patients compared with British women and are characterized by unfavorable biological features, akin to BLBC in African-American women. These findings warrant further studies to unravel the genetic background of BLBCs and whether their aggressive features are related to ethnic origin or other multifactorial and environmental variables.
