ArticleBreast cancer research : BCR2010
Prospective comparison of switches in biomarker status between primary and recurrent breast cancer: the Breast Recurrence In Tissues Study (BRITS).
Article in Breast cancer research : BCR, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 115 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
115 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 266 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prognostic significance of receptor expression discordance between primary and recurrent breast cancers: a meta-analysis.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2022Pooled it
- 3rd ESO-ESMO International Consensus Guidelines for Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC 3).Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology · 2017Guideline
- Use of Biomarkers to Guide Decisions on Systemic Therapy for Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2015Guideline
- Discordance in hormone receptor status among primary, metastatic, and second primary breast cancers: biological difference or misclassification?The oncologist · 2014Pooled it
- Gene expression profiling of sequential metastatic biopsies for biomarker discovery in breast cancer.Molecular oncology · 2015Trial
- Molecular subtype and tumor characteristics of breast cancer metastases as assessed by gene expression significantly influence patient post-relapse survival.Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology · 2015Trial
- Prospective evaluation of the conversion rate in the receptor status between primary breast cancer and metastasis: results from the GEICAM 2009-03 ConvertHER study.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2014Trial
- Discordances in estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status, and HER2 status between primary breast cancer and metastasis.The oncologist · 2013Trial
- Heterogeneity of estrogen receptor expression in circulating tumor cells from metastatic breast cancer patients.PloS one · 2013Trial
- Multiple biomarker expression on circulating tumor cells in comparison to tumor tissues from primary and metastatic sites in patients with locally advanced/inflammatory, and stage IV breast cancer, using a novel detection technology.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2011Trial
- Evaluation of methods to classify ipsilateral breast tumour recurrences as local recurrence or new primary tumour.NPJ breast cancer · 2026Article
- Breast Cancer Brain Metastases: Current Understanding and Future Directions.Current oncology reports · 2026Review
- Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Tissue Acquisition for Breast Cancer Liver Metastases Enables the Detection of Biomarkers Essential for Treatment.Cancer reports (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2025Observational
- Multiplexed Imaging Mass Cytometry Reveals Tumor-immune Microenvironment-dependent Hormone Receptor Expression in Adult-Type Ovarian Granulosa Cell Tumors.Cancer research communications · 2025Article
- Multidisciplinary management strategies for recurrent brain metastasis after prior radiotherapy: An overview.Neuro-oncology · 2025Review
- Intratumoral heterogeneity of Ki67 proliferation index outperforms conventional immunohistochemistry prognostic factors in estrogen receptor-positive HER2-negative breast cancer.Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology · 2025Article
- Detection, significance and potential utility of circulating tumor cells in clinical practice in breast cancer (Review).Oncology letters · 2025Review
- Receptor Discordance in Metastatic Breast Cancer; a review of clinical and genetic subtype alterations from primary to metastatic disease.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2024Review
- Study of Biomarker Discordance between Primary and Recurrent Sites and its Clinical Implications in Metastatic Breast Cancer : A Single Institutional Study from India.South Asian journal of cancer · 2024Article
- Article
55 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionImmunohistochemistry of primary breast cancer is routinely used to guide changes in therapy at the time of relapse. Retrospective reviews suggest that the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) receptor may differ between the primary and loco-regional recurrence or distant metastases. The Breast Recurrence In Tissues Study (BRITS) was a large, multicentre, prospective study to examine changes in ER, PR and HER2.
methodsMatched primary and recurrent breast cancer tissue samples were prospectively collected from 205 women attending 20 institutions. Central laboratory immunohistochemical analysis of core biopsies and tissue microarrays of ER and PR using the Allred and Quickscore methods and HER2 (confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) for HER2 2+) were performed.
resultsFrom 205 consenting women, 18 (8.8%) did not have recurrent disease on biopsy, 35 were ineligible, 13 had insufficient paired tissue and 2 were excluded for safety reasons. Paired samples from 137 women, mean age 62.6 years (range 27-87 years), 83/137 (60.6%) postmenopausal with a median 92.2 months (range 5-327 months) from primary to recurrence and 88 (64.2%) as locoregional recurrence were successfully analysed. A switch in receptor status, in either direction, by Allred score, was identified for ER in 14 patients (10.2%; P = 0.983 Wilcoxon sign rank test), PR in 34 (24.8%; P = 0.003 Wilcoxon sign rank test) and HER2 in 4 (2.9%; P = 0.074 Wilcoxon sign rank test). There was no difference between locoregional or distant recurrence in the proportion who switched. The switch in receptor status led to a change in the subsequent treatment plan for 24 patients (17.5%).
conclusionsThis prospective study confirms retrospective evidence that the management of relapsed breast cancer should include confirmatory tissue sampling and identify switches of ER, PR or HER2 which change therapeutic management for one in six patients.
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