title: Growth/adhesion-regulatory tissue lectin galectin-3: stromal presence but not cytoplasmic/nuclear expression in tumor cells as a negative prognostic factor in breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The endogenous lectin galectin-3 can regulate cell adhesion and proliferation in vitro, thus prompting the examination of its clinical relevance in breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemical processing of tissue sections (n = 273; drop-out rate 20.4%) was used for the assessment of galectin-3 expression. Cytoplasmic/nuclear staining and presence in the tumor stroma were analyzed in human breast cancer patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A weak correlation with positive steroid receptor status was revealed for cytoplasmic positivity. Nuclear staining was correlated to the lobular type of invasive carcinoma, and tumor stroma expression to high-grade malignancy. Multiple testing of cut-off points to divide the cases into groups based on different levels of immunopositivity combined with univariate Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and computations following the multivariate Cox regression model disclosed no prognostic correlation to either cytoplasmic or nuclear expression of galectin-3. The presence of galectin-3 in the stroma, however, indicated an unfavorable prognosis. Prediction of overall survival was feasible using a model consisting of stage and c-erbB2 status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data signify that caution should be exercised in extrapolating from the anti-apoptotic/prometastatic activity of galectin-3 in model systems to the clinical situation.
authors: Institut für Gerichtliche Medizin der Universität Tübingen, Germany.
authors: Adina
authors: A
authors: Moisa
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Fritz
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Eck
authors: Heinz-Dieter
authors: HD
authors: Wehner
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Mürdter
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: Simon
authors: Hans-Joachim
authors: HJ
authors: Gabius
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D037502:Galectin 3