Cathepsin D in invasive ductal NOS breast carcinoma as defined by immunohistochemistry. No correlation with survival at 5 years.
Cathepsin D expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 59 node-negative and 77 node-positive infiltrative ductal not otherwise specified (NOS) breast carcinomas and compared with overall survival at 90 months. Cancer cells in 60% (81/136) of the tumors expressed cathepsin D. In the stroma of 33% (18 of 55) cathepsin D negative tumors, numerous strongly cathepsin D positive, benign macrophage-like cells were found. Multivariate analysis showed no significant correlation of cathepsin D expression and overall survival for all patients for node-negative and node-positive patients and for patients with vimentin-positive and -negative tumors. However, in node-negative but not in node-positive patients, a trend for better survival for patients with cathepsin-positive vimentin-negative tumors and worse survival for those with cathepsin-positive vimentin-positive tumors was noted. Due to the low number of patients in these subgroups, neither trend reached significance. Cathepsin D expression was independent of patient age, size, and histologic grade of tumor, and vimentin expression. However, in the node-positive group, negative correlation of cathepsin D and vimentin expression was found. We suggest that prognostic significance of cathepsin D in infiltrative ductal NOS breast carcinomas may be associated with the pathway of its synthesis rather than with its mere presence in tumor cells.
Domagala
W
W
Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany.
Striker
G
G
Szadowska
A
A
Dukowicz
A
A
Weber
K
K
Osborn
M
M
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002402:Cathepsin D / Q000032:analysis* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014746:Vimentin / Q000032:analysis
D014746:Vimentin; D002402:Cathepsin D