抄録
c-erbB-2 protein levels in tissue extracts and sera were determined in158 patients with breast carcinoma by a sandwich enzyme immunometric assay (EIA) using monoclonal antibodies directed to the extracellular domain of the c-erbB-2 oncogene protein (ErbB-2). In an analysis of tissue extracts, 48 samples (30.3%) showed ErbB-2 levels exceeding 18.0 ng/mg protein (group A), while in 110 samples these levels were below 18.0 ng/mg protein (group B). The level of ErbB-2 in tissue extracts was significantly associated with immunohistochemistry and ErbB-2 levels in preoperative sera. During follow-up, 48 patients (30.3%) developed recurrent disease: 17 in group A (35.4%) and 31 in group B (28.2%). The sensitivity of serum ErbB-2 in patients with relapsed breast cancer was 84.6% (11/13) in group A and 43.5% (10/23) in group B. In an analysis of serum samples taken before relapse, 90.9% (10/11)of the subjects in group A and 26.7% (4/15) of those in group B were shown to be positive for serum ErbB-2. Serum ErbB-2 in group A was a more sensitive marker than other tumor markers such as CEA, CA15-3 and NCC-ST-439. Thus, the determination of ErbB-2 in tissue extracts of breast carcinoma may be useful for assessing c-erbB-2 protein expression in the primary tissue, and indicates that serum ErbB-2 may be a sensitive marker for monitoring tumor relapse.
