Intertumoral heterogeneity of bifocal breast cancer: a morphological and molecular study

To analyze concordance rates between individual foci of bifocal BC for histological grade, type and intrinsic subtype based on immunohistochemical (IHC) and mRNA-testing using MammaTyper.

We evaluated histological grade and type as well as intrinsic subtype based on IHC status for estrogen and progesterone receptors, HER2 and the mitotic activity index in 158 individual foci of 79 bifocal BC. A subgroup of 31 cases additionally underwent mRNA-based subtyping using the MammaTyper (MT) test. We calculated concordance rates between individual foci, as well as Cohen’s Kappa (k).

For 79 bifocal BC, concordance rates between individual foci for grade, histological type, and IHC-based subtype were 69.6% (k=0.53), 92.4% (k=0.81), and 74.7% (k=0.62), respectively. In the MT subgroup of 31 bifocal BC, concordance rates between individual foci for grade, histological type, IHC-based and mRNA-based intrinsic subtype were 87.1% (k=0.78), 90.3% (k=0.73), 87.1% (k=0.82), and 87.1% (k=0.7), respectively. Overall concordance between IHC- and mRNA-based subtype in the MT subgroup was 79% (k=0.7). In 6/79 cases (7.6%), testing of the smaller focus added clinically relevant information either on IHC- or mRNA-level: four cases showed high hormonal receptor expression while the expression in the larger focus was negative or low, warranting additional endocrine treatment; two cases presented with higher proliferative activity in the smaller focus, warranting additional chemotherapy.

In bifocal BC, intertumoral heterogeneity on the morphological, immunohistochemical and molecular level is common, with discordant intrinsic subtype in up to 25% between individual foci, with about 8% clinically relevant discordances.