[Expression of cathepsin D in breast cancer and its clinical and histopathological correlations].
BACKGROUND
Cathepsin D is a lysosomal protease which is overexpressed in some cases of breast cancer. Several studies done in tumor cytosol have shown that high levels of cathepsin D are associated with poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer but the results are not conclusive using immunohistochemistry methods to assay cathepsin D.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate if cathepsin D, assayed by a immunohistochemical technique using a polyclonal antibody, can be considered an independent prognostic factor in breast cancer.


METHODS
Paraffine embedded sections of 68 tumor specimens from breast cancer patients in stages I to IV seen at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia during the period from 1985 to 1986.


RESULTS
From the 68 patients, 35 (51%) had an intense positive staining for cathepsin D, 19 (28%) han mild staining and 14 (21%) were negative. Ten patients with mild staining had artifacts due to deficiencies in the tissue fixation technique. Cathepsin D expression did not have a prognostic value nor association with other clinical and histopathological prognostic factors well established in breast cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Cathepsin D determined by immunohistochemistry has no prognostic value in breast cancer.
Ramírez-Ortega
M C
MC
División de Investigación Básica, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, México, D.F.
Frías-Mendívil
M
M
Delgado-Chávez
R
R
Meneses-García
A
A
Carrillo-Hernández
J F
JF
Ramírez-Ugalde
M T
MT
Zeichner-Gancz
I
I
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002402:Cathepsin D / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / Q000201:enzymology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D002402:Cathepsin D
Expresión de catepsina D en carcinoma mamario y sus correlaciones clínicas e histopatológicas.