Cyclin E expression in operable breast cancer quantified using real-time RT-PCR: a comparative study with immunostaining.
OBJECTIVE
The main purpose of this retrospective study was to compare cyclin E expression levels in operable breast cancer patients determined using real-time RT-PCR and immunostaining. The prognostic relevance of cyclin E was also investigated.


METHODS
Specimens of invasive ductal breast cancer tissues obtained from 124 women during radical mastectomy were analyzed.


RESULTS
Of the tumor samples, 40.3 and 59.7% showed high expression of cyclin E in RT-PCR and immunostaining, respectively. The overall agreement probability was 0.032 according to Scott's pi statistic. With a median follow-up of 55.5 months, cyclin E expression assessed using immunostaining was an independent negative prognostic factor in the node positive group (hazard ratio 3.1; 95% CI 1.0-9.2; P = 0.045). Cyclin E expression correlated with absence of steroid receptors and younger age. RT-PCR results did not predict survival in any group of patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Disagreement between real-time RT-PCR and immunostaining was demonstrated. Immunostaining seems to be the more reliable method for assessing cyclin E in breast cancer cells.
Potemski
Piotr
P
Department of Chemotherapy, Medical University of Lodz, 4 Paderewski Street, 93-509 Lodz, Poland. piotrpo@mp.pl
Pluciennik
Elzbieta
E
Bednarek
Andrzej K
AK
Kusinska
Renata
R
Jesionek-Kupnicka
Dorota
D
Pasz-Walczak
Grazyna
G
Watala
Cezary
C
Kordek
Radzislaw
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D019927:Cyclin E / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007120:Immunochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D015409:Mastectomy, Radical; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016019:Survival Analysis
D019927:Cyclin E; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases