title: Expression of insulin-like growth factor-I receptor and transferrin receptor by breast cancer cells in pleural effusion smears.
abstract: Smear preparations were made from cells harvested from pleural fluid from 90 patients with breast cancer and stained for transferrin receptor (TRFr) and insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-Ir) using an immunocytochemical technique. The results were correlated with those from 36 benign effusions smears. In malignant smears from the breast cancer cases TRFr was demonstrated in 84.4% of the cellular deposits and IGF-Ir in 91.1%. TRFr was demonstrated in two (11%) of the tuberculous effusion smears and in six (100%) effusions from patients with collagen disease. IGF-Ir was not demonstrated in any of the smears from patients with benign disease. The sensitivity and specificity of TRFr staining were 84.4% and 77.7%, respectively, and for IGF-Ir staining were 91.1% and 100%, respectively. The underlying metabolic changes in the tumour cells which give rise to positive staining with these markers are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Athens University Medical School, Greece.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Athanassiadou
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Athanassiades
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Petrakakou
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mavrikakis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Konstantopoulos
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kyrkou
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D016066:Pleural Effusion, Malignant / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D017451:Receptors, Somatomedin / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D017451:Receptors, Somatomedin; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin