title: Expression of pepsinogen C in human breast tumours and correlation with clinicopathologic parameters.
abstract: We have examined by immunohistochemistry the ability of breast carcinomas to produce pepsinogen C, an aspartyl proteinase usually involved in the digestion of proteins in the stomach. A total of 113 out of 245 breast tumours (46%) were positive for pepsinogen C immunostaining. There was a significant association between pepsinogen C and oestrogen receptors with proteinase levels higher (HSCORE) in oestrogen receptor positive tumours than in oestrogen receptor negative. There was also a significant association between pepsinogen C and histological grade, pepsinogen C levels being higher in well and moderately differentiated breast carcinomas than in poorly differentiated tumours. On the basis of these results, we suggest that pepsinogen C may be useful as a marker of good prognosis in breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Funcional, Universidad de Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Diez-Itza
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Merino
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tolivia
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vizoso
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: López-Otín
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D010435:Pepsinogens / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D010435:Pepsinogens; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen