Question
A 56 years old lady came to you with a diagnosis of carcinoma breast. The following was revealed in her immunohistochemistry staining. What can you say about the prognosis in this patient?
A. Good prognosis
B. Poor prognosis
C. Good outcome with trastuzumab
D. Good outcome without trastuzumab
Show Answer
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Correct Answer » B
Explanation
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Ans: B. Poor prognosis
(Ref: DeVita’s Oncology 10/e p 1243)
- The IHC profile depicts a triple negative breast cancer, as ER, PR and Her-2 are all negative.
- Positive staining is seen as brownish dots over the slide.
- Negative results – Growth of the cancer is not supported by estrogen & progesterone nor by too many HER2 receptors.
- Therefore, triple-negative breast, cancer does not respond to hormonal therapy (such as tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors) or therapies that target HER2 receptors, such as Herceptin (Trastazumab).
