Noor S. Saeed
Ministry of Health, Tuz General Hospital, Saladin, Iraq
Zainab M. Hashim
Department of Laboratory and Clinical Science, College of Pharmacy, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
Furat Y. Mohsen
Ministry of Health, Oncology Teaching Hospital, Medical City
Background: Breast cancer is a biologically heterogeneous disease with diverse clinical outcomes driven by molecular characteristics, particularly hormone receptors (HR), including estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR), as well as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression. These biomarkers are essential for tumor classification, prognostic assessment, and therapeutic stratification. However, their relationship with clinicopathological features may vary across different populations, necessitating region-specific evaluation.
Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Oncology Teaching Hospital, Medical City, Baghdad, Iraq, and included 96 female patients diagnosed with breast cancer between February 2024 and January 2025. Data on HR and HER2 expression were obtained from pathology reports based on immunohistochemical analysis performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples. Clinicopathological variables were collected from medical records. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-square test and logistic regression with SPSS, with a p-value of <0.05 considered significant.
Results: Hormone receptors (HR) positivity was observed in 79.2% of cases, while HER2 positivity was identified in 27.1%. No significant associations were found between HR expression and clinicopathological parameters, except for smoking status, which showed a significant inverse association (p=0.014). In contrast, HER2 expression was significantly associated with tumor stage (p=0.042), with higher expression observed in advanced stages. Multivariate analysis revealed that advanced lymph node involvement (N3) (OR=7.86, p=0.014) and higher tumor stages (III and IV) were independently associated with HER2 positivity.
Conclusion: Hormone receptors (HR) expression appears to be independent of most clinicopathological factors, whereas HER2 overexpression is significantly associated with advanced and aggressive disease features. These findings highlight the importance of HR and HER2 assessment in predicting tumor behavior and guiding clinical management in breast cancer patients.
