Comparing Breast Cancer Types: DCIS vs. Invasive
Author Information
Author(s): Rulla M. Tamimi, Heather J. Baer, Jonathan Marotti, Mark Galan, Laurie Galaburda, Yineng Fu, Anne C. Deitz, James L. Connolly, Stuart J. Schnitt, Graham A. Colditz, Laura C. Collins
Primary Institution: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Hypothesis
The study aims to compare the prevalence of distinct molecular subtypes among cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive breast cancer.
Conclusion
The major molecular phenotypes identified among invasive breast cancers were also found in cases of DCIS, but their prevalence differed significantly.
Supporting Evidence
- The luminal A phenotype was more frequent among invasive cancers (73.4%) than among DCIS lesions (62.5%).
- Luminal B and HER2 phenotypes were more frequent among DCIS (13.2% and 13.6%) compared to invasive tumours (5.2% and 5.7%).
- High-grade DCIS and invasive tumours were more likely to be HER2 type and basal-like than low- or intermediate-grade lesions.
Takeaway
This study looked at two types of breast cancer and found that they have different types of cells, which can help doctors understand how to treat them better.
Methodology
The study used tissue microarrays from breast cancers in 2897 women and immunostained for various receptors to classify molecular subtypes.
Potential Biases
There may be a bias in the sample towards larger DCIS lesions since only those large enough to yield multiple cores were included.
Limitations
Not all breast cancer tissue blocks could be obtained, which may affect the representativeness of the sample.
Participant Demographics
Participants were women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study, aged between 30 and 55 at baseline.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p = 0.0002
Confidence Interval
95%CI 1.8 to 3.9
Statistical Significance
p<0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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