Lack of expression of ALK and CD30 in breast carcinoma by immunohistochemistry irrespective of tumor characteristics.

CD30 is a member of the tumor necrosis factor family of cell surface receptors normally expressed in lymphocytes, as well as some lymphomas, but has been described in other malignancies. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a tyrosine kinase receptor that belongs to the insulin receptor superfamily, and is normally expressed in neural cells, but has been detected in several malignancies. There is conflicting data in the literature that describes the expression of these receptors in breast cancer, and the aim of this study is to test the expression of CD30 and ALK in a cohort of Middle Eastern patients with breast carcinoma.Cases of invasive breast cancer from the archives of AUBMC were reviewed over a period of 9 years, and the blocks that were used for immunohistochemical staining for ER, PR, Her-2/neu were selected. Immunohistochemical staining for CD30 (JCM182) and ALK (5A4 and D5F3) was performed.Two hundred eighty-four cases were identified (2 cases were male), with a mean age of 55 ±â€Š12. CD30 and ALK expression was not seen in any of the cases.Our cohort showed complete negativity to both CD30 and ALK, adding to the conflicting data available in the literature, and more studies are needed to reliably identify a trend of expression of CD30 and ALK in breast carcinoma, especially in the Middle East.

Prevalence of EGFR and ALK Mutations in Lung Adenocarcinomas in the Levant Area - a Prospective Analysis

Background: A significant percentage of lung adenocarcinomas have a driver mutation. To date, there has been no assessment of the prevalence of such mutations in a Middle Eastern population. The present multicenter prospective study of formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissues from patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma was performed to assess the prevalence of EGFR and ALK mutations in the Levant. Methods: Patients of Middle Eastern origin with lung adenocarcinomas at 10 sites in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq were prospectively enrolled. Tumors were tested for EGFR by PCR and for EML4-ALK translocation by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Results: A total of 210 patients were enrolled, 139 (66.2%) males and 71 females (33.8%), with a mean age of 63.4 years. EGFR testing of 205 (97.6%) demonstrated the wild type in 173 (84.4%) and mutated forms in 32 (15.6%). Some 46.9% of EGFR positive patients were non-smokers and 62.5% were females as opposed to 22.4% and 33.8%, respectively, in the general population. As for the EML4-ALK translocation, testing in 157 (74.8%) cases gave negative results in 154 (98.1%) , only 3 being positive (1.9%), 2 being females and 2 non-smokers.Conclusion: Our study established a 15.6% EGFR mutation rate in lung adenocarcinomas with ALK translocation mutations in only 1.9%, as compared to a 15-20% and 5%, respectively, in the Western literature.