title: Basal cell-specific and hyperproliferation-related keratins in human breast cancer.
abstract: In normal breast tissue and in noninvasive breast carcinomas, various keratin-14 antibodies were reactive predominantly with the basal/myoepithelial cell layer, although mainly in terminal and larger ducts luminal cells sometimes also were stained. A similar reaction pattern was found with an antibody directed against keratin 17, although this antibody was more often found negative than keratin 14 in the pre-existing myoepithelial cells in intraductal carcinomas. Furthermore antibodies reactive with hyperproliferation-related keratins 6 and 16 were used. One of these (LL025) was completely negative in normal breast tissue and noninvasive breast carcinomas. However 10% of the invasive carcinomas were diffusely or focally positive with this latter antibody, while in 18 of 115 cases of invasive breast carcinomas studied, a basal cell phenotype was detected. A relatively high concordance was found between the carcinomas immunostaining with the basal cell and the hyperproliferation-related keratins, but not between these markers and the proliferation marker Ki-67. This supports the conclusion that basal cells in breast cancer may show extensive proliferation, and that absence of Ki-67 staining does not mean that (tumor) cells are not proliferating.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Wetzels
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kuijpers
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Leigh
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Troyanovsky
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: U J
authors.initials: UJ
authors.lastname: van Haelst
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Ramaekers
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001940:Breast / Q000378:metabolism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007633:Keratins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007633:Keratins