[Expression of bcl-2 gene in relation to histologic type and grade, and prognosis of breast cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To ascertain whether bcl-2 gene expression is related to histologic type and grade, and prognosis of breast cancer and its prognosis.


METHODS
Expression of bcl-2 protein was examined immunohistochemically in 85 cases of breast cancer patients with > or = 5 years of follow-up.


RESULTS
Expression of bcl-2 protein was detectable in 68.2% of breast cancer specimens. It was not related to histologic type, but to histologic grade of the cancer. In grade I, bcl-2 was positive in 95.2% of the specimens which was significantly higher than that in grade II (64.6%) and grade III (25.0%)(P < 0.01). The positive rate of bcl-2 expression was 75.9% in patients who survived > or = 5 years as compared to that (51.6%) in patients survived < 5 years (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Expression of bcl-2 occurs more frequently in well differentiated breast cancer. It is associated with better prognosis of the patients.
Cancer Institute (Hospital), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China.
H
H
Yang
Y
Y
Sun
F
F
Liu
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D019254:Genes, bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis