title: Medullary carcinoma is associated with expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1. Implication to its morphology and its clinical behavior.
abstract: The histological hallmarks for the diagnosis of medullary breast cancer are circumscription, syncytial architecture, diffuse inflammatory infiltrate, and highly atypical nuclei. The biological and prognostic implication is a lower propensity to metastasize. We studied 19 medullary carcinomas for expression of the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and lymphocyte-function-associated antigen-1, Neu differentiation factor, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and the expression of HER-2/neu, HER-4, and HER-3 receptors. Our study revealed that all of the 19 medullary carcinomas expressed the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and lymphocyte function associated antigen. Eighteen of 19 cancers expressed Neu differentiation factor and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. All medullary cancers expressed the HER-2/neu receptor, however, in the majority of the cases, the staining was confined to the cytoplasm. Only 4 of 12 cancers expressed HER-4 and none of the eight medullary cancers tested expressed HER-3. By comparison, in a control group of infiltrating ductal carcinomas, expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1, lymphocyte function associated antigen-1, and Neu differentiation factor was positive in about 25 to 30% of the cases, HER-4 was expressed in 75% and HER-3 in 95% of the cases. Taken together, our observations suggest that the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1, lymphocyte function associated antigen, Neu differentiation factor, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha as factors that may affect the special morphology and the biological behavior that characterizes medullary carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Cellular Diagnostics, Elmhurst, Illinois 60126.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Bacus
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Zelnick
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yarden
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Kaminsky
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bennington
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Marcus
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Page
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D016169:Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D020880:Neuregulins; D011003:Ploidies; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D006023:Glycoproteins; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D016169:Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1; D020880:Neuregulins; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha