title: Quantitative analysis of p185(HER-2/neu) protein in breast cancer and its association with other prognostic factors.
abstract: The total cellular p185(HER-2/neu) protein (p185) content was measured by ELISA in 346 invasive primary breast cancers, and the results were compared with those of estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors, pS2 and Cathepsin D (Cat D) content. At a cut-off level of 260 fmol/mg protein, 53 of the 346 tumors (15%) were p185-positive. A significant positive correlation was observed between p185 levels and those of Cat D, and a weaker, though significant, positive correlation with ER, and pS2 levels, but not with those of PR. However, when only the 293 p185-negative tumors were considered, the correlation between p185 and ER improved substantially, and statistical significance was reached for PR. p185-positive tumors exhibited lower ER and PR content and higher Cat D content than p185-negative tumors. The pS2 content, in contrast, did not undergo significant variation. Tumors considered to be p185-positive were significantly more frequently positive for Cat D at the cut-off of 45 pmol/mg protein, and were more frequently negative for ER and/or PR, but only significant at the cut-off of 15 fmol/mg or higher for both steroid receptors. Finally, p185 status was not associated with menopausal status, tumor size, axillary-lymph-node invasiveness or distant metastases. These results suggest that 260 fmol/mg protein as the cut-off for p185 allows the identification of a tumoral sub-population with a more aggresive phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Endocrinology, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Valerón
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chirino
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vega
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Falcón
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Rivero
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: León
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pestano
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Díaz-Chico
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Díaz-Chico
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D002402:Cathepsin D / Q000032:analysis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis*; D000071163:Trefoil Factor-1; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins
chemical_list: D002402:Cathepsin D; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D000071163:Trefoil Factor-1; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; C051838:TFF1 protein, human