Hormonal and Her2 Receptor Immunohistochemistry of Breast Cancers in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR) and ErB B2 receptor (Her2) status of Breast cancers in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Materials and Method: A 5-year prospective study was done of all Breast cancers in Department of Morbid Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, OAUTHC, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, from January 2007 to December 2012. Results: A total of 136 cases of Breast cancers were seen in the study period. Immunohistochemistry was done on all these cases. The mean age was 50.7±13.5 SD (yrs). The age range was 23-92 yrs. Phenotypic classification based on ER, PR and Her2 immunohistochemistry show 45 cases (33.1%) to be Basal-like (Triple negative), 30 cases (22.1%) are Her2 over expressing, 21 cases (15.4%) are Luminal B type, 20 cases (14.7%) are luminal A type. Conclusion: A significant number of cases is Estrogen receptor positive; hence in a resource poor setting like ours, the use of anti-estrogens in treatment of breast cancer cases with unknown receptor status may be justified as these drugs are known to be relatively cheap. It is not possible to predict the breast cancer phenotypes by using the age at presentation.