title: Breast Tissue Composition and Immunophenotype and Its Relationship with Mammographic Density in Women at High Risk of Breast Cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the cellular and immunophenotypic basis of mammographic density in women at high risk of breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mammograms and targeted breast biopsies were accrued from 24 women at high risk of breast cancer. Mammographic density was classified into Wolfe categories and ranked by increasing density. The histological composition and immunophenotypic profile were quantified from digitized haematoxylin and eosin-stained and immunohistochemically-stained (ERα, ERβ, PgR, HER2, Ki-67, and CD31) slides and correlated to mammographic density.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increasing mammographic density was significantly correlated with increased fibrous stroma proportion (rs (22) = 0.5226, p = 0.0088) and significantly inversely associated with adipose tissue proportion (rs (22) = -0.5409, p = 0.0064). Contrary to previous reports, stromal expression of ERα was common (19/20 cases, 95%). There was significantly higher stromal PgR expression in mammographically-dense breasts (p=0.026).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proportion of stroma and fat underlies mammographic density in women at high risk of breast cancer. Increased expression of PgR in the stroma of mammographically dense breasts and frequent and unexpected presence of stromal ERα expression raises the possibility that hormone receptor expression in breast stroma may have a role in mediating the effects of exogenous hormonal therapy on mammographic density.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Jia-Min B
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Elena A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jene
authors.affiliation: Familial Cancer Centre, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Petelin
authors.affiliation: Familial Cancer Centre, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McKinley
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Poliness
authors.affiliation: School of Surgery University of Western Australia, Crawley, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Christobel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.affiliation: School of Surgery University of Western Australia, Crawley, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Familial Cancer Centre, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Fox
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D000071060:Breast Density; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping / Q000379:methods*; D042361:Mammary Glands, Human / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers