title: Expression of androgen receptors and inhibin/activin alpha and betaA subunits in breast apocrine lesions.
abstract: The importance of androgens and their receptors inhibin and activin remains unknown for mammary epithelial cells. We investigated the role of these hormones in breast apocrine lesions (BAL) using immunohistochemistry to study androgen receptors (AR) and the inhibin/activin alpha and betaA subunits. Forty-two cases of BAL were evaluated, including 22 cases of fibrocystic disease (FCD) showing prominent apocrine changes, 10 intraductal papillomas with extensive apocrine metaplasia, 5 cases of apocrine carcinoma in situ (CIS), and 5 cases of apocrine carcinoma. Fifty non-apocrine lesions were included as controls: 20 cases of FCD, 5 cases of DCIS, and 25 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma. AR was more frequently expressed in BAL than in non-apocrine lesions (p=0.001). AR expression was not related to tumor progression. AR showed a significant positive correlation with betaA subunits (r=0.832, p<0.001), and an inverse correlation with alpha subunits (r=-0.233). The alpha and betaA subunits demonstrated a significant inverse correlation with each other (r=-0.271, p=0.0048). As the expression of the alpha and betaA subunits reflects inhibin and activin A, respectively, AR and activin A may be implicated in apocrine morphogenesis, but not in tumor progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyo Sub
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: Woo Hee
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Haeryoung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyeongmee
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Nam Hoon
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D001050:Apocrine Glands / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005348:Fibrocystic Breast Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D028322:Inhibin-beta Subunits / Q000378:metabolism*; D007265:Inhibins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008679:Metaplasia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018300:Papilloma, Intraductal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism*; D013544:Sweat Gland Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D011944:Receptors, Androgen; C094377:inhibin-alpha subunit; D007265:Inhibins; D028322:Inhibin-beta Subunits