Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40931235›Full record

ReviewVirchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology2025

Immunohistochemistry for PTEN testing in HR +/HER2- metastatic breast cancer.

Nicola Fusco, Elena Guerini-Rocco, Isabella Castellano, Umberto Malapelle

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Exploratory Analysis of PTEN Deficiency by Immunohistochemistry from the Phase III CAPItello-291 Trial.Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2026
    Trial
  2. Article
  3. Liquid biopsy in solid tumours: expert opinion paper of the European society of pathology.Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology · 2026
    Review
  4. The impact of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway on trastuzumab resistance in HER2-positive gastric cancer.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026
    Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Nicola FuscoDivision of Pathology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy. nicola.fusco@ieo.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9101-9131
Elena Guerini-RoccoDivision of Pathology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Isabella CastellanoPathology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, City of Health and Science University Hospital, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Umberto MalapelleDepartment of Public Health, University Federico II of Naples, Naples, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The PTEN tumor suppressor regulates the PIK3CA/AKT1 pathway, and its inactivation significantly contributes to tumorigenesis and progression in hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative (HR + /HER2 -) metastatic breast cancer (MBC). In ~ 5% of these patients, PTEN loss, primarily due to gene deletions, leads to aberrant PI3K signaling and enhanced oncogenic potential. Findings from the CAPItello-291 study further establish PTEN together with PIK3CA and AKT1 as a predictive biomarker for Capivasertib, a pan-AKT inhibitor, in these patients. Despite next-generation sequencing (NGS) being the most precise method for detecting gene losses, immunohistochemistry (IHC) offers some advantages, including accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and applicability when archival tissue is inadequate for NGS or when pre-analytical failure occurs. Notably, recent evidence supports a pragmatic IHC positivity criterion, defining PTEN deficiency as staining in less than 10% of tumor cells, regardless of intensity. In this manuscript, we provide a comprehensive overview of the clinical scenarios associated with PTEN IHC testing in HR + /HER2 - MBC, outline best practices to minimize the impact of pre-analytical and analytical variability, and propose a structured pathology report to standardize PTEN IHC evaluation in this context.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorBreast NeoplasmsImmunohistochemistryPTEN PhosphohydrolaseErb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine KinasesFemaleHumansProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktReceptors, EstrogenReceptors, ProgesteroneBiomarkers, TumorERBB2 protein, humanErb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine KinasesProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktPTEN PhosphohydrolasePTEN protein, humanReceptors, EstrogenReceptors, ProgesteroneImmunohistochemistry (IHC)Metastatic breast cancer (MBC)Next-generation sequencing (NGS)PI3K/AKT pathwayPTEN

Identifiers

PMID40931235
PMCPMC12546312

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.