title: Thymidine phosphorylase expression correlates with tumor differentiation and Bcl-2 in invasive breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Angiogenesis plays an important role in the growth and metastasis of solid tumors. Several angiogenic factors have been identified, and thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is thought to be one such factor. To date, little information is available on the relationship between TP and other clinicopathological variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded materials from 116 primary breast carcinomas were used. The expression of TP, estrogen receptor, Bcl-2, Bax, p53, c-erbB-2 and MIB-1 was examined by immunohistochemical methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nuclear and/or cytoplasmic TP expression was observed in the neoplastic cells, and accentuation of TP was often present at the infiltrating tumor edge and intraductal spread region. Tumor cell TP expression was significantly inversely correlated with histological grade (p< 0.05) and positively correlated with Bcl-2 expression, but no association with other tumor variables was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TP is associated with Bcl-2 expression and tumor differentiation in breast cancer. TP may be a new prognostic parameter for breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Pathology, Wakayama Medical College, 811-1 Kimiidera, Wakayama 641-0012, Japan.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuma
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Umemura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Utsunomiya
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kakudo
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000235:genetics*; D019254:Genes, bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008408:Mastectomy; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase