[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.
Yang
H
H
Cancer Institute (Hospital), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China.
Sun
Y
Y
Liu
F
F
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