Background: Adverse outcomes in breast cancer patients treated with recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) have been linked to the expression of Epo-receptors (EpoR) in cancer cells, although limited data on the clinical significance of these observations are available.
Patients and methods: Tissue samples from 107 patients with breast cancer who did not receive rhEpo and from 12 patients with benign lesions were retrospectively analysed for EpoR expression by RT-PCR and Western blot, and the results were correlated to clinical and demographic data.
Results: While EpoR levels were not linked to anaemia or inflammation, they were positively associated with progesterone and oestrogen receptor status. Patients with increased EpoR-mRNA expression had a higher local cancer recurrence rate (p=0.021), however, no significant difference in overall survival was observed.
Conclusion: Since EpoR expression is associated with hormone receptor positivity and decreased locoregional disease control, this parameter characterises a specific cancer phenotype rather than being a negative predictor itself.