Hui Liu

Publications (3)2.88 Total impact

• Article: [Clinicopathologic features and prognostic significance of basal-like breast cancer].

  Hui Liu, Qin-he Fan, Xiao Li, Guang-zhen Liu
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  ABSTRACT: To analyzed a large group of invasive breast cancers with long-term follow-up information to evaluate the clinicopathologic, morphological and prognostic features of basal-like breast cancers in Chinese population. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of ER, HER2, CK5/6, EGFR on tissue microarray with 1311 invasive breast cancers. Based on the results, these cases were categorized into luminal A, luminal B, basal-like, HER2-overexpressing and null subtypes. Clinicopathological features and survival rates were compared between these groups. Basal-like breast cancers constituted 17.0% of 1311 invasive breast cancers with a significantly larger size, higher grade and higher incidence of the medullary carcinoma, frequent recurrence and infrequent node metastasis. Morphologically, basal-like breast cancers showed a significantly more solid architecture and ribbon-like architecture associated with necrosis (more geographic necrosis) and central scar, a more pushing margin, lymphocytic infiltration and a higher mitosis score, more syncytial growth, presence of basaloid cells, spindle cells and squamous metaplasia. The disease-free survival and overall survival of basal-like breast cancers were significantly poorer than that of luminal A subtype, but similar to the other ER-negative subtypes. Basal markers were not independent prognostic factors. Basal-like breast cancers in Chinese population has a similar prevalence to that of the western populations. They have distinct clinicopathologic features compared to other non-basal breast cancers, but overlapping with other ER-negative breast cancers. Morphological features are strongly associated with basal-like breast cancers although they are not very specific. The survival of basal-like breast cancers is poorer than luminal A, but similar to the other ER-negative breast cancers, and basal markers are not independent prognostic factors of breast cancers.
  Zhonghua bing li xue za zhi Chinese journal of pathology 06/2009; 38(5):316-22.
• Article: [Roles of immunohistochemistry in prognostic assessment of basal-like breast cancer].

  Hui Liu, Qin-he Fan, Zhi-hong Zhang, Xiao Li, Hui-ping Yu, Guang-zhen Liu, Fan-qing Meng
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  ABSTRACT: Basal cell-like breast cancer is one of the subtypes using molecular typing, and this subtype attracted a wide spread attention. Currently, no uniform diagnostic criteria are available. Most studies demonstrated poor outcomes, but contradictory conclusions appeared recently. The prognosis of basal cell-like breast cancer using different immunohistochemical criteria were analyzed. Two hundred and eighty-four invasive breast cancers with a follow-up information over 5 years were evaluated for ER, PR, HER2, CK5/6, CK14, EGFR expression on tissue microarray immunohistochemically. Based on the results, these cases using four different diagnostic criteria were categorized, namely: Nielsen (ER-/HER2-, CK5/6+ and/or EGFR+), Kim (ER-/PR-/HER2-, CK5/6+ and/or CK14+ and/or EGFR+), Triple-negative (ER-/PR-/HER2-), and basal-CK (CK5/6+ and/or CK14+). 5-year survival information was compared between groups. The prevalence of basal cell-like breast cancer by Nielsen, Kim, Triple-negative and basal-CK were 15.5% (44/284), 14.8% (42/284), 43.3% (123/284) and 21.1% (60/284) respectively; the recurrence rates were 18.2% (8/44), 21.4% (9/42), 10.6% (13/123) and 11.7% (7/60) respectively. These were higher than recurrence rates for other subtypes, but only the differences by Nielsen's and Kim's criteria were significant. Using Nielsen's and Triple-negative's criteria, basal-like tumors showed shorter 5-year disease-free survival (both P < 0. 01) and overall survival (P < 0.05 and 0.01) than luminal A subtype, using Kim's criteria, basal-like tumors showed a lower 5-year disease-free but not overall survival than luminal A subtype (P < 0.01); no significant difference was found on 5-year survival between basal-like and non-basal-like tumors when typed by basal-CK. Basal cell-like breast cancers are more likely to show more recurrence and worse outcome, but different immunohistochemical diagnostic criteria have an influence on their prognostic analysis, so a uniform diagnostic criteria is essential for the further study of basal-like breast cancers.
  Zhonghua bing li xue za zhi Chinese journal of pathology 01/2009; 38(1):23-8.
• Article: Basal-HER2 phenotype shows poorer survival than basal-like phenotype in hormone receptor-negative invasive breast cancers.

  Hui Liu, Qinhe Fan, Zhihong Zhang, Xiao Li, Huiping Yu, Fanqing Meng
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  ABSTRACT: Previous studies have shown conflicting results on prognostic significance of basal-like breast tumors, but hormone receptor is a confusing factor in most of the prognostic evaluations. We aimed to characterize the prognostic features of basal-like tumors without the influence of hormone receptor status in a series of hormone receptor-negative breast tumors. Using tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry methods, according to the expression of HER2 and basal markers (CK5/6, CK14, EGFR), we categorized 713 consecutive hormone receptor-negative invasive breast cancers into 3 subtypes: HER2 (HER2+), basal-like (HER2-, any basal marker+), and null (HER2-, all basal markers-). The HER2 phenotype was subdivided into pure-HER2 (HER2+, all basal markers-) and basal-HER2 (HER2+, any basal marker+) subgroups. Expression of p53, p63, vimentin, and BRCA1 was assessed immunochemically. Basal-like tumors showed significantly higher grade, more frequent recurrence, and higher expression of vimentin and p63 than HER2 and null phenotypes. Basal-HER2 phenotype had significantly younger mean age and expressed a higher level of p53 and vimentin like basal-like and/or HER2 phenotypes. However, unlike all the other hormone receptor-negative phenotypes, they highly expressed BRCA1. No significant difference was found in 5-year survival among basal-like and the other hormone receptor-negative phenotypes, except for basal-HER2, which showed poorer 5-year overall survival than basal-like tumors. In conclusion, although basal-like breast tumors have distinct clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features, they have similar 5-year survival compared with the other hormone receptor-negative tumors including HER2 and null phenotypes. However, there exists a small group of hormone receptor-negative tumors expressing HER2 and basal markers simultaneously. This small group of tumors showed significantly poorer 5-year overall survival than basal-like breast tumors and might require different treatment strategy.
  Human Pathlogy 03/2008; 39(2):167-74. · 2.88 Impact Factor