HER2 expression in upper tract urothelial carcinoma and the relationship with clinicopathological characteristics—an analysis of 155 patients in Southwest China

Objective We aimed to evaluate the expression of HER2 in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) in Southwest China by using a relatively large cohort, and to determine the relationship between HER2 expression and clinicopathological characters. Materials and methods We retrospectively enrolled the clinical data of 155 UTUC patients who have undergone radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) from March 2019 to September 2022. HER2 expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry and scored according to the HercepTest (Scores of 0 or 1 + were considered as negative and 2 + or 3 + as positive). Tumor molecular phenotype was classified by the panel of CK20, CK5/6, and CD44. Results HER2 was overexpressed in 55 (35.5%) patients. It was associated with pathologic characteristics such as grade (p = 0.017), tumor molecular phenotype (p