Lack of expression of ALK and CD30 in breast carcinoma by immunohistochemistry irrespective of tumor characteristics

CD30 is a member of the tumor necrosis factor family of cell surface receptors normally expressed in lymphocytes, as well as some lymphomas, but has been described in other malignancies. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a tyrosine kinase receptor that belongs to the insulin receptor superfamily, and is normally expressed in neural cells, but has been detected in several malignancies. There is conflicting data in the literature that describes the expression of these receptors in breast cancer, and the aim of this study is to test the expression of CD30 and ALK in a cohort of Middle Eastern patients with breast carcinoma. Cases of invasive breast cancer from the archives of AUBMC were reviewed over a period of 9 years, and the blocks that were used for immunohistochemical staining for ER, PR, Her-2/neu were selected. Immunohistochemical staining for CD30 (JCM182) and ALK (5A4 and D5F3) was performed. Two hundred eighty-four cases were identified (2 cases were male), with a mean age of 55 ± 12. CD30 and ALK expression was not seen in any of the cases. Our cohort showed complete negativity to both CD30 and ALK, adding to the conflicting data available in the literature, and more studies are needed to reliably identify a trend of expression of CD30 and ALK in breast carcinoma, especially in the Middle East.