Immunohistochemical demonstration of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in 120 mammary carcinomas and its correlation with tumor type, grading, staging plasma-CEA, and biochemical receptor status.
Antisera to CEA were used for the immunohistochemical localization and quantification of this antigen in 120 Bouin-fixed, paraffin embedded mammary carcinomas. These results were compared to tumor type, grading, staging, biochemical receptor status, cytosolic CEA-levels of the same tumors, and preoperative plasma CEA-levels. Mammary carcinomas were usually characterized by a low percentage of CEA-positive tumor cells: 50.9% of the cases contained more than 5% CEA-positive tumor cells and were therefore defined as being CEA-histopositive in this study. A relation could be shown between CEA-histopositivity and the histologic tumor type. The majority of invasive lobular carcinomas, tubular, and cribriform carcinomas was CEA-negative (72%). Conversely, 70% of invasive ductal carcinomas were CEA-positive. There was a significantly higher percentage of CEA-histopositivity in grade III tumors than in grade I/II carcinomas. The results obtained by quantification of the immunohistochemical staining of CEA were positively correlated with the results obtained by cytosolic CEA-assay. The overall concordance between tissue and plasma determinations of CEA was found to be 57.1%. A positive trend could be found between CEA-positivity and staging. However, no correlation was observed between CEA-positivity and estrogen receptor status.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008875:Middle Aged; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen