title: Expression of c-erbB2, p53, Bcl-2, Bax, c-myc and Ki-67 in apocrine metaplasia and apocrine change within sclerosing adenosis of the breast.
abstract: Molecular evidence has recently suggested a number of different pathways leading to the development of ductal carcinoma of the breast. The links between atypical ductal hyperplasia and low-grade ductal carcinoma in situ and lobular neoplasia and lobular carcinoma are well known pathologically, but high-grade in situ and invasive carcinomas appear to have a different biological oncogenetic pathway. Morphologically there is a similarity between apocrine cells and some cases of high-grade ductal carcinoma. In order to investigate this possibility a number of different biological markers known to occur in high-grade breast carcinomas were assessed in both apocrine metaplasia (APM) and a putative premalignant lesion called apocrine change within sclerosing adenosis (AA). In 64 cases of APM and 18 cases of AA we examined for expression of c-erbB2, p53, Bcl-2, Bax, c-myc and Ki-67 proteins using immunocytochemistry. c-erbB2 expression was seen in 55.6% of AA cases and in 10.9% of APM cases. p53 expression was detected in 27.8% of AA cases but only 1.6% of APM cases. All cases of AA and APM were negative for the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, but all the APM and 33.3% of AA cases showed cytoplasmic positivity for Bax, a pro-apoptotic protein. All the cases of AA and APM were positive for c-myc oncoprotein, however, the mean percentage of nuclear positivity was 50% in AA and 37% in cases of APM cases. The mean percentage positivity for Ki-67, a proliferation associated antigen, was 3.6% in AA and 1.3% in APM. The results indicate that a subset of breast lesions containing APM epithelium show abnormal oncoprotein and apoptosis-related protein expression and have a higher proliferation rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histopathology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, West Smithfield, London EC1A 7BE, UK. aaselim@doctors.org.uk
authors.forename: Abdel-Ghani A
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Selim
authors.forename: Ghada
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: El-Ayat
authors.forename: Clive A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wells
mesh_terms: D001050:Apocrine Glands / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005348:Fibrocystic Breast Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D008679:Metaplasia / Q000473:pathology; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C494826:BAX protein, human