title: Prognostic significance of the estrogen-regulated proteins, cathepsin-D and pS2, in breast cancer.
abstract: The evaluation of prognostic factors for breast cancers is important for therapeutic decisions both at the time of surgery and during postoperative surveillance. Cathepsin-D (cath-D) is an estrogen inducible aspartyl protease. Studies have demonstrated two biological activities, at an acidic PH, of the protein: a mitogenic and a proteolytic activity; both the growth promoting activity and the extracellular proteolytic activity suggest that cathepsin D (cath-D) may have prognostic significance in breast cancer. Measurement of cath-D in breast tissue, in fact, is highly significant in predicting recurrence as well as disease free interval and overall survival. The pS2 is a small cysteine-rich protein specifically expressed under estrogen transcriptional control. Expression of the pS2 protein in breast carcinoma is a useful guide to prognosis and response to tamoxifen: appropriate adjuvant therapy can be selected on the pS2 status of the tumor; patients with pS2 expression had better overall survival and a longer survival time after the first recurrence than those without pS2 expression. For these reasons, these two new prognostic markers could be suggested as habit factors in breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Oncologia, Università degli Studi, Messina.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Fulco
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petix
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Salimbeni
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Torre
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry*; D002402:Cathepsin D / Q000378:metabolism*; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D000071163:Trefoil Factor-1; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; C051838:TFF1 protein, human; D000071163:Trefoil Factor-1; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D002403:Cathepsins; D002402:Cathepsin D