Objective: To determine the amplification of proto-oncogene HER-2/neu in invasive cervical cancer and its relationship with the stage of disease, grade of tumor and prognosis of patients.
Methods: In this retrospective study 70 women with invasive cervical squamous cell carcinoma were included. DNA was extracted from the paraffin-embedded tumor tissue. The amplification of HER-2/neu was studied using a differential polymerase reaction (PCR) technique. Assessment of significance was performed using Peason's Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test.
Results: Eleven of the 70 cases (16%) showed an amplification of HER-2/neu but there was no relation between amplification and tumor histologic grading (p = 0.408) or clinical staging (p = 0.180). Follow-up information in 67 patients was available. The incidence of amplification in the patients who were alive with disease was not statistically different from that in the patients who were alive with no evidence of disease (p = 0.315). The incidence of amplification in the patients who died of disease was higher than that in the patients who were still alive, but statistical significance did not reached (p = 0.062).
Conclusion: The results suggest that HER-2/neu amplification does exist in a subgroup of invasive cervical cancer and may play a role in cervical carcinogenesis. The role as independent prognostic factor has to be evaluated by further prospective studies.