The role of molecular biomarkers for predicting adjacent breast cancer of Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia diagnosed on core biopsy

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia (ADH) is a disease of the proliferative breast lesion characterized with atypia and when diagnosed on core needle biopsy (CNB), excisional biopsy is the current management to exclude adjacent cancer, which may found 10 to 20%. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study is to investigate the role of biomarkers on surgical decision after the diagnosis of ADH on CNB. METHODS: Patients with pure ADH on core biopsy were retrospectively selected, and categorized according to final pathology after excision into three groups: Group I (n: 39) ADH; Group II (n: 27) ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and Group III (n: 9) invasive cancer (IC). Immunohistochemical analyses were performed using biomarkers MUC1, Ki67, Cyclin B1, and Cyclin D1. RESULTS: Only Cyclin D1 was significant in between group analysis by one-way ANOVA (64.74, 49.44, and 51.11, respectively; p = 0.01). However when appropriate cut-off levels (2%-50%) were used for each biomarkers using X2 test, no statistical significance was found. CONCLUSION: MUC1, Ki67, Cyclin B, and Cyclin D1have failed to predict adjacent cancer on core biopsy specimens with ADH. Further surgery is warranted for all ADH cases diagnosed on core biopsies until a new predictor is identified.