title: Immunohistochemical detection of TGF-alpha, EGF-R, c-erbB-2, c-H-ras, c-myc, estrogen and progesterone in benign and malignant human breast lesions: a concomitant expression.
abstract: The expression of transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) and oncogenes c-erbB-2, c-H-ras, c-myc, as well as estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors were studied immunohistochemically in the tissue of 21 benign and 58 malignant human breast lesions. Twenty nine (50%) of 58 carcinomas were positive for EGF-R and c-erbB-2 product, 55 (94.8%) for c-myc product, 9 (15.5%) for c-H-ras product and 17 (29%) for TGF-alpha. Eighteen of 58 (31%) carcinomas were estrogen receptor positive and 22 (38%) were positive for progesterone receptor. No correlation was found between expression of each investigated parameter and the clinical stage or degree of histological differentiation of the carcinomas. However, a significant positive correlation was observed between lymph node involvement and c-erbB-2 and EGF-R/c-erbB-2 positive tumors. A strong correlation was also observed between high levels of EGF-R and low levels of estrogen receptor. In 15 of 17 cases we found simultaneous expression of EGF-R and TGF-alpha. We also found interesting patterns in concomitant expression of the investigated parameters suggesting a possible cascade of events that occur in breast cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Spaventi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kamenjicki
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pecina
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grazio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grazio
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pavelic
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kusic
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cvrtila
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Danilovic
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spaventi
mesh_terms: D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000032:analysis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D011987:Receptors, Steroid / Q000032:analysis*; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000032:analysis*; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D066246:ErbB Receptors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011987:Receptors, Steroid; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha; D018631:ras Proteins