title: Characterization of immunohistochemical markers in triple negative breast carcinomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Triple negative (TN) breast carcinomas (estrogen receptor/ER, progesterone receptor/PR and HER-2/neu negative) constitute 15-25% of all breast carcinomas and have been correlated with aggressive behavior and poor prognosis. Our aim was to describe and characterize the immunophenotype of these tumors in a group of patients from Turkey.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used the immunohistochemical markers CK5/6, CK14, EGFR, E-cadherin, p53 and androgen receptor. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from 51 breast carcinoma patients (36 TN and 15 non TN) were included into this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean values of the distribution of immunohistochemical markers in TN vs non-TN groups were as follows: CK5/6 78.4 vs 5.3%, CK14 84.8 vs 8%, EGFR 87.2 vs 8%, E-cadherin 96.9 vs 53.2%, p53 87.3 vs 7.3% and androgen receptor 89.5 vs 33.3% (all p-values<0.001). CK5/6 stained significantly different in the grade 2 and 3 cases (p=0.035) in the TN group.The other markers demonstrated no significant differences between grades.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TN breast carcinomas in Turkish patients express basal cytokeratins, and have high levels of p53 compared to non-TN breast carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Mustafa Kemal University School of Medicine Department of Pathology, Antakya/Hatay, Turkey.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Atik
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guray
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ozgur
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Canda
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000032:analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016707:Tissue Fixation / Q000379:methods; D064726:Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: C410798:AR protein, human; D015703:Antigens, CD; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C513384:CDH1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D005404:Fixatives; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; C495901:TP53 protein, human; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D005557:Formaldehyde; D007633:Keratins; C512478:EGFR protein, human; D066246:ErbB Receptors