Expressions of ER, PR, HER-2, COX-2, and VEGF in Primary and Relapsed/Metastatic Breast Cancers

In the present study, we evaluated expressions of estrogen receptor (ER), progestin receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in primary and relapsed/metastatic breast cancers to elucidate the clinical significance of these markers. The markers were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in specimens of 50 patients with primary or metastatic breast cancer. Positive rates of ER were significantly ( p = 0.002) higher in primary versus relapsed/metastatic breast cancer (70 vs. 38 %, respectively). The VEGF positive expression rates were also significantly higher in primary versus metastatic cancer (82 vs. 38 %, respectively; p