September 11, 2001 | Therese Sorlie, Charles M. Perou, Robert Tibshirani, Turid Aas, Stephanie Geisler, Hilde Johnsen, Trevor Hastie, Michael B. Eisen, Matt van de Rijn, Stefanie S. Jeffrey, Thor Thorsen, Hanne Quist, John C. Matese, Patrick O. Brown, David Botstein, Per Eystein Lonning, Anne-Lise Børresen-Dale
This study aimed to classify breast carcinomas based on gene expression patterns derived from cDNA microarrays and to correlate these patterns with clinical outcomes. The researchers analyzed 85 cDNA microarray experiments representing 78 cancers, three fibroadenomas, and four normal breast tissues using hierarchical clustering. They found that cancers could be classified into basal epithelial-like, ERBB2-overexpressing, and normal breast-like groups. A novel finding was the division of the previously characterized luminal epithelial/estrogen receptor-positive group into at least two subgroups with distinct expression profiles. These subtypes were robust across different gene sets and showed significant differences in survival outcomes, particularly for the basal-like subtype and the two estrogen receptor-positive groups. The study highlights the importance of studying multiple genetic alterations in concert to better understand the biology of breast cancer and improve prognostic markers.This study aimed to classify breast carcinomas based on gene expression patterns derived from cDNA microarrays and to correlate these patterns with clinical outcomes. The researchers analyzed 85 cDNA microarray experiments representing 78 cancers, three fibroadenomas, and four normal breast tissues using hierarchical clustering. They found that cancers could be classified into basal epithelial-like, ERBB2-overexpressing, and normal breast-like groups. A novel finding was the division of the previously characterized luminal epithelial/estrogen receptor-positive group into at least two subgroups with distinct expression profiles. These subtypes were robust across different gene sets and showed significant differences in survival outcomes, particularly for the basal-like subtype and the two estrogen receptor-positive groups. The study highlights the importance of studying multiple genetic alterations in concert to better understand the biology of breast cancer and improve prognostic markers.