title: Epidermal growth factor receptor in human breast cancer: correlation with cytosolic and nuclear ER receptors and with biological and histological tumor characteristics.
abstract: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) and cytosolic (cER) and nuclear (nER) estradiol receptors were quantified in 220 primary breast cancers. The EGFr was significantly more frequent (chi 2 = 5.9; P less than 0.025) and its concentration was significantly higher (P less than 0.001) among ER- tumors than in ER+ tumors. There was a significantly greater proportion (chi 2 = 6.4; P less than 0.05) of node involvement in EGFr+/ER+ tumors than in EFGr-/ER+. Increases in the proportion of EGFr+ in ER- tumors are parallel to Scarff-Bloom scores (chi 2 = 6.1; P less than 0.05) and there is a significant trend (Spearman rs = 0.25; P less than 0.05) towards increased EGFr concentrations with histologic dedifferentiation. In ER+ tumors the median concentrations of EGFr in the different age groups show a linear correlation (LCC = 0.89; P less than 0.05) and follow a parallel profile with the medians of nER. These findings support the hypothesis that EGFr is a bad prognosis factor and suggest that EGFr expression and concentration in ER+ tumors might be considered an estrogenic action mediated through the binding of ER to their nuclear acceptors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathological Biochemistry, Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bolufer
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Miralles
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vazquez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lluch
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garcia-Conde
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Olmos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000032:analysis* / Q000473:pathology; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000032:analysis* / Q000473:pathology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000032:analysis; D003600:Cytosol / Q000032:analysis; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011959:Receptors, Estradiol / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011959:Receptors, Estradiol; D066246:ErbB Receptors