title: Clinicopathological significance of PTEN and Caspase-3 expressions in breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expressions of PTEN and Caspase-3 proteins in human breast carcinoma, and to evaluate their clinicopathological implications during the tumorigenesis and progression of breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The expressions of PTEN and Caspase-3 proteins in 95 cases of breast cancer and 15 cases of benign breast diseases were investigated immunohistochemically. Correlations between the expression of PTEN protein, Caspase-3 protein, and clinicopathological features of breast cancers were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The loss expression rate of PTEN protein in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in benign breast diseases (33.7% vs. 0, P < 0.01). Analysis of the clinicopathological features showed that PTEN expression level was negatively correlated with TNM stage, histological grade, axillary lymph node status, recurrence, and metastasis (P < 0.05). The positive expression level of Caspase-3 was negatively correlated with TNM stage (P < 0.01), but not related with histological grade, axillary lymph node status, recurrence, or metastasis (P > 0.05). In addition, the expression of PTEN protein had significantly positive correlation with the expression of Caspase-3 protein in breast cancer (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination detection of PTEN and Caspase-3 may serve as an important index to estimate the pathobiological behavior and prognosis of breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: The Fourth Laboratory of Cancer Institute & Department of Tumor Pathology of General Surgery Institute, First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001.
authors.forename: Xue-Fei
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Li-Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Mao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase; C494929:PTEN protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3