International Journal of Scientific Research in Dental and Medical Sciences

International Journal of Scientific Research in Dental and Medical Sciences

Immunohistochemical Surrogate Molecular Subtyping of Breast Carcinoma and Its Clinicopathological Correlation: A Cross-Sectional Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Shivam Shree 1
Neema Ankur Rana 1
Jignesh Naranbhai Fafal 2
1 Department of Pathology, Government Medical College Vadodara, The Maharaja Sayajirao University, Gujarat, India
2 Department of General Surgery, Government Medical College Vadodara, The Maharaja Sayajirao University, Gujarat, India
10.30485/ijsrdms.2026.574498.1699
Abstract
Background and aim: Breast carcinoma is a biologically heterogeneous malignancy with distinct molecular subtypes that differ in prognosis and therapeutic response. Immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based surrogate molecular classification using estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), HER2, and Ki-67 provides a practical alternative to gene expression profiling. This study evaluated the distribution of molecular subtypes and their association with clinicopathological parameters.
Material and methods: A retrospective hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 108 histopathologically confirmed cases of primary breast carcinoma diagnosed between August 2022 and July 2024 at a tertiary care center in Vadodara, Gujarat. Tumors were graded using the modified Scarff-Bloom-Richardson (Nottingham) grading system. Immunohistochemistry for ER, PR, HER2, Ki-67, and CK5/6 was performed according to established guidelines. Molecular subtype analysis was performed in 97 cases after excluding 11 HER2-equivocal cases without confirmatory fluorescence in situ hybridization.
Results: Invasive carcinoma of no special type was the predominant histological subtype, and Grade II tumors were the most common. Luminal B was the predominant molecular subtype, followed by triple-negative breast cancer, Luminal A, and HER2-enriched tumors. Molecular subtype showed significant associations with histological subtype, ER, PR, HER2, and Ki-67 expression, but not with age, tumor size, histological grade, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, or lymph node status.
Conclusions: Luminal B was the predominant molecular subtype in this cohort. IHC-based surrogate molecular classification is a practical approach for routine breast cancer subtyping and provides clinically relevant prognostic stratification in resource-limited settings. Larger multicenter studies with long-term follow-up are needed to validate these findings.
Keywords
Breast Neoplasms
Immunohistochemistry
Molecular typing
Subjects
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International Journal of Scientific Research in Dental and Medical Sciences
Volume 7, Issue 4
Autumn 2025
Pages 173-181

  • Receive Date 01 October 2025
  • Revise Date 20 November 2025
  • Accept Date 29 November 2025
  • Publish Date 01 December 2025