title: Gross cystic disease fluid protein in nipple aspirates of breast fluid of Asian and non-Asian women.
abstract: Gross cystic disease fluid protein 15 (GCDFP-15) is universally present in the apocrine metaplastic epithelium of cystic breast disease and breast cancer, but it is rarely found in normal breast epithelium. Therefore GCDFP-15 detected in nipple aspirates of breast fluid (NAF) could serve as a biochemical marker of the presence and possibly extent of apocrine metaplasia within the breast. GCDFP-15 levels were measured in NAF from 37 Asian and 78 non-Asian women using radioimmunoassay. GCDFP-15 (range, 0-81,643 micrograms/ml) was found in the NAF of all but 1 woman and was highly correlated between right and left breasts. Mean concentrations of GCDFP-15 were significantly lower in NAF from Asian compared with non-Asian women. Markedly reduced levels of GCDFP-15 were found in the 17 women who had been parous in the previous 2 years. In women not parous within the prior 2 years, no relationship was found between GCDFP-15 levels and age, weight, age at menarche, first-degree family history of breast cancer, parity, oral contraceptive use, or smoking history. High concentrations of GCDFP-15 were found in the NAF of women with a history of a benign breast biopsy. Because similarly high levels of GCDFP-15 were found in NAF in over 40% of women without a history of benign breast biopsy, and because GCDFP-15 in the breast is produced only by apocrine metaplastic epithelium, we infer that the breasts of these women likely contain a significant degree of apocrine metaplasia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Petrakis
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lowenstein
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Wiencke
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Wrensch
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Hilton
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miike
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001050:Apocrine Glands / Q000473:pathology; D001053:Apolipoproteins; D053399:Apolipoproteins D; D001213:Asian; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001940:Breast / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D002571:Cerumen / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006801:Humans; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D008679:Metaplasia; D010298:Parity; D010641:Phenotype; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: C024328:APOD protein, human; D001053:Apolipoproteins; D053399:Apolipoproteins D; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; C488892:PIP protein, human