title: Histological grade (HG) in invasive ductal carcinomas of the breast of less than 1 cm: clinical and biological associations during progression from HG1 to HG3.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the clinical and biological (cellular proliferation and hormone-dependence) associations during the progression of histological grade (HG), from HG1 to HG3, in invasive ductal carcinomas of the breast (IDC) <1 cm.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group included 119 women with IDCs ≤1 cm, aged between 27 and 88 years (median=61 years). The parameters analyzed were: histological grade (HG1: 52; HG2: 45; HG3: 22); axillary lymph node involvement (N); distant metastasis (M); and immunohistochemical expression of estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR) and androgen (AR) receptors, and Ki67, p53 and B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to HG3 tumors, HG1s exhibited an increased expression of ER, AR and BCL2, as well as lower expression of p53 and Ki67. In HG1 tumors, significant (p<0.05) associations were found between ER and PR (positive), ER and p53 (negative), ER and Ki67 (negative), PR and AR (positive), PR and p53 (negative), AR and p53 (negative), p53 and BCL2 (negative), and between BCL2 and Ki67 (negative). HG3s only showed significant (p<0.05) associations between ER and Ki-67 (negative) and between BCL2 or Ki-67 (negative). Only two significant relationships (ER-Ki67 and BCL2-Ki67) persisted in all three grades.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results lead us to the following conclusions: i) compared HG1, HG3 ductal carcinomas exhibited decreased expression of ER, AR and BCL2 and increased expression of p53 and Ki67; and ii) only two significant and negative relations (ER-Ki67 and BCL2-Ki67) persisted in all three grades.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging Group, Nuclear Medicine Service, University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Molecular Imaging and Medical Physics Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, Spain Tejerina Foundation, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Álvaro
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Ruibal
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging Group, Nuclear Medicine Service, University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Molecular Imaging and Medical Physics Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, Spain pablo.aguiar.fernandez@sergas.es.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aguiar
authors.affiliation: General Laboratory, Arquitecto Marcide Hospital, Ferrol, Spain.
authors.forename: María Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Del Rio
authors.affiliation: Surgery Service, Monte del Naranco Hospital, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: José Ignacio
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.affiliation: Pathology Service, University Hospital of Asturias, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Primitiva
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Menéndez-Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology Service, University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gude
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging Group, Nuclear Medicine Service, University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Molecular Imaging Program, Galicia Radiopharmaceuticals Unit, GALARIA-SERGAS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herranz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D047368:Tumor Burden
keywords: BCL2; Breast tumors; Ki67; SUV; androgen receptor; estrogen receptor; histological grading; p53; progesterone receptor