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VEGF and HER-2 in breast cancer

Both HER-2/neu and VEGF overexpression correlate with decreased survival4

Both HER-2/neu and VEGF overexpression correlate with decreased survival (HER2)
Both HER-2/neu and VEGF overexpression correlate with decreased survival (Total)
In a study of primary breast tumors from 611 women (114 HER-2/neu positive), overexpression of either HER-2/neu or VEGF correlated with significantly poorer survival. The poorest outcomes were seen in patients whose tumors overexpressed both HER-2/neu and VEGF. HER-2/neu was classified as positive when samples contained >400 femtomoles (fmol)/mg protein. VEGF was classified as positive when detectable above the lowest assay of sensitivity (420 fmol/mL for VEGF121-206 and 260 fmol/mL for VEGF165-206).4

Activation of the HER-2/neu (human epidermal receptor-2) proto-oncogene, which is amplified and overexpressed in 20% to 25% of human breast cancers, has also been associated with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) upregulation. In an analysis of tumors from 611 breast cancer patients (114 of whom were HER2/neu positive), on average, HER2/neu-overexpressing tumors were found to express significantly more VEGF than HER2/neu-nonoverexpressing tumors. In this study, the poorest outcomes were seen in patients with both HER-2/neu overexpression and VEGF expression, a statistically significant relationship. The positive association of HER-2/neu and VEGF expression may contribute to the aggressive phenotype of HER-2/neu—overexpressing tumors.4 A more recent study by Fuckar and colleagues showed a significant positive correlation between VEGF expression and HER-2/neu overexpression, but only in postmenopausal patients.8

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