ANDROGEN RECEPTOR EXPRESSION IN ESTROGEN RECEPTOR- AND PROGESTERONE RECEPTOR-NEGATIVE BREAST CARCINOMA: ASSOCIATION WITH HER2 STATUS AND CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL FEATURES
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Keywords
Breast Neoplasms, Androgen Receptors, Immunohistochemistry, Receptor, ErbB-2 (HER2), Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast
Abstract
Background: Breast carcinoma is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy among women worldwide. Tumours lacking estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression are associated with aggressive biological behavior and limited therapeutic options. The androgen receptor (AR) has attracted attention as a potential biomarker that may provide prognostic information and identify additional therapeutic targets in these tumours. Objective: To determine the immunohistochemical expression of AR in ER- and PR-negative breast carcinoma and evaluate its association with HER2 status and clinicopathological characteristics. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based observational cross-sectional immunohistochemical study included 50 consecutive cases of ER- and PR-negative breast carcinoma. Clinicopathological data were recorded, and AR and HER2 expression were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Associations between AR expression and clinicopathological variables were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), with p0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: All cases were invasive ductal carcinoma. The highest proportion of patients belonged to the 61–70-year age group (32%). Grade III tumours accounted for 68% of cases, while 66% measured 2–5 cm in greatest dimension. AR expression was detected in 56% of tumours, whereas HER2 positivity was observed in 44%. A significant association was identified between AR expression and HER2 status (p=0.007), tumour laterality (p=0.013), and lymphovascular invasion (p=0.019). No significant relationship was observed between AR expression and patient age, tumour size, histological grade, or lymph node involvement. Conclusion: AR was expressed in more than half of ER- and PR-negative breast carcinomas and showed a significant association with HER2 expression and lymphovascular invasion. These findings suggest that AR may serve as a useful prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in hormone receptor-negative breast carcinoma. Larger multicenter studies with long-term follow-up are required to validate its clinical significance.