Expression of ABH/Lewis-related antigens as prognostic factors in patients with breast cancer.
OBJECTIVE
The prognostic value of altered blood group factor and Lewis-related carbohydrate antigen expression in breast cancers has not been fully determined.


METHODS
To this end, breast carcinoma samples from 87 radical mastectomy patients with primary cancer were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for the ABH factors, Le(a), sialyl Le(a), Le(x), and sialyl Le(x).


RESULTS
It was found that ABH, Le(a), sialyl Le(a), Le(x), and sialyl Le(x) antigens were expressed in 25 (21.8%), 26 (22.6%), 26 (22.6%), 36 (31.3%), and 37 specimens (32.2%), respectively. Tumors with lymph node metastasis expressed Le(x) or sialyl Le(x) antigens more frequently than those without lymph node metastasis ( P=0.0020 or P=0.039, respectively). The survival time of patient s after surgery was significantly shorter for those whose tumors expressed Le(x) or sialyl Le(x) than for those without Le(x)- or sialyl Le(x)-positive tumors ( P=0.0028 and P=0.0029, respectively). Cox's multiple regression analysis revealed that sialyl Le(x) expression was an independent prognostic factor for patient survival regardless of primary tumor (T factor) and lymph node (N factor) status (hazards ratio, 3.80).


CONCLUSIONS
Thus, expression of sialyl Le(x) antigen in tumor cells is associated with poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer and must be considered in the design of future therapeutic trials.
Nakagoe
T
T
First Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8501 Japan. nakagoe@net.nagasaki-u.ac.jp
Fukushima
K
K
Itoyanagi
N
N
Ikuta
Y
Y
Oka
T
T
Nagayasu
T
T
Ayabe
H
H
Hara
S
S
Ishikawa
H
H
Minami
H
H
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007983:Lewis Blood Group Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000080506:Sialyl Lewis X Antigen; D016019:Survival Analysis
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007983:Lewis Blood Group Antigens; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D000080506:Sialyl Lewis X Antigen