Prognostic significance of inappropriate production of pregnancy proteins by breast cancers.
50 cases of cancer of the breast (diagnosed between 1962 and 1966) were studied retrospectively. An enzyme-bridge immunoperoxidase technique was used to demonstrate that so-called pregnancy-specific proteins were detectable in the cytoplasm of the tumour cells. Of the proteins studied, pregnancy-specific beta1-glycoprotein was present in 76% of cases, placental lactogen in 82%, and chorionic gonadotrophin in 60%. Those women with cancers negative for pregnancy-specific beta1-glycoprotein and placental lactogen had significantly longer survival-time compared with those whose cancers stained for these proteins. Pregnancy-specific beta1-glycoprotein appears to be the best indicator of prognosis. A prospective study is needed to determine whether those patients requiring adjuvant chemotherapy after mastectomy can be identified by staining tumour tissue for pregnancy-specific beta1-glycoprotein by the enzyme-bridge technique.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality*; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006729:Hormones, Ectopic / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010926:Placental Hormones / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D010928:Placental Lactogen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006729:Hormones, Ectopic; D010926:Placental Hormones; D010928:Placental Lactogen