The Core Needle and Surgical Biopsy Concordance to Detect Estrogen, Progesterone, and Her-2 Receptors in Breast Cancer: A Comparative Study

BACKGROUND &OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and (human epidermal growth factor receptor-2) Her-2 on core needle biopsies (CNBs) is increasingly in use to diagnosis early breast cancer, but its concordance with surgical excision (SE) is not well documented. METHODS: The study included 100 formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens of invasive breast carcinoma archived in Pathology Department of Cancer Institute, Tehran, Iran, from 2011 to 2014. Immunohistochemistry was applied to detect ER, PR, and Her-2. RESULTS: The current study findings indicated a significant correlation of 90% between CNB and SE specimens for ER expression. The correlation between CNB and SE specimens was estimated as 81% and 97.3% for PR and Her-2, respectively. DISCUSSION: CNB can be performed confidently to determine ER and Her-2. For PR, results obtained from CNB should be considered.