[Axillary lymph node involvement in hormone-independent breast carcinomas].
OBJECTIVE
We decided to study the axillary lymph node invasion (N) in hormone-independent breast cancer.


METHODS
The study group included 77 ER and 47 ER/PgR breast carcinomas. Both ER and PgR were determined using EIAS from Abbott (USA).


RESULTS
In ER tumors, one the most important finding was the high concentration (p = 0.001) and percentage of positives ( > 50 pmol/mg prot.; 24/41 vs 7/36; p < 0.01) of cathepsin D observed in N+ vs N- tumors. In ER/PgR negative tumors, lymph node involvement was associated with a same behavior of this proteinase (p = 0.021; 17/31 vs 2/16; p = 0.006) exclusively.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results point to a possible usefulness of cathepsin D in this type of carcinomas.
Ruibal
Alvaro
A
Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital Clínico, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain.
Arias
José Ignacio
JI
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001365:Axilla; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary*; D002402:Cathepsin D / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism
D015415:Biomarkers; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D002402:Cathepsin D