All 24 specimens of infiltrating ductal carcinomas of the breast and 7 of 11 samples of normal breast tissues studied revealed the presence of c-myc protein.
LOH of RBI and TP53 was associated with occurrence of ductal carcinomas, RBI and p144D6 losses with tumour size, and p144D6 losses with positive node status as well.
There was no significant correlation with c-erbB-2 protein expression or retinoblastoma protein loss. p53 protein was detected in a high proportion of cells in three of the six comedo ductal carcinomas in situ studied but either not at all or at a lower level in tumours of the cribriform type. p53 mutations are common in breast carcinomas, but heterogeneity within individual tumours is frequent.
There was no significant correlation with c-erbB-2 protein expression or retinoblastoma protein loss. p53 protein was detected in a high proportion of cells in three of the six comedo ductal carcinomas in situ studied but either not at all or at a lower level in tumours of the cribriform type. p53 mutations are common in breast carcinomas, but heterogeneity within individual tumours is frequent.
Two mutations were detected: an A----G transition causing a glutamine to arginine amino acid substitution at codon 61 of the Ha-ras gene in a primary prostatic duct adenocarcinoma and a G----T transversion causing a glycine to valine amino acid substitution at codon 12 of the Ha-ras gene in a prostate tumor cell line (TSU-PR1) derived from a lymph node metastasis.
It is concluded that the c-erbB-2 protein is overexpressed in a minority (approximately 14%) of infiltrating ductal carcinomas and only in cells that are cytologically malignant.
Strong membrane staining was seen in 16% of the infiltrating ductal carcinomas and 44% of the in situ lesions. c-erbB-2 was overexpressed in ductal rather than lobular tumours.
Moreover, reverse transcriptase-PCR-based analysis disclosed that MRP-1/CD9 gene expression in the metastatic lymph nodes of 17 of 32 patients was strikingly lower than in the primary invasive ductal carcinomas.
The value of C-erbB-2 expression as a prognostic indicator in ductal carcinomas was examined by seeking an association with known prognostic indicators.
The frequency and levels of AR protein expression are generally higher in invasive breast carcinomas than in ductal carcinomas in situ or in normal, noninvolved mammary epithelium.
Vascular permeability factor mRNA was expressed at a low level by normal duct epithelium but was expressed at high levels in tumor cells in all cases of comedo-type DCIS, infiltrating ductal carcinoma, and metastatic ductal carcinoma.
Vascular permeability factor receptor mRNA was strongly expressed in endothelial cells of small vessels adjacent to malignant tumor cells in DCIS, infiltrating ductal carcinoma, and metastatic ductal carcinoma.
Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from 92 breast cancers (invasive ductal carcinomas) were immunostained with a monoclonal antibody against proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA).
Amplification or overexpression have not been reported in atypical duct hyperplasia, a proposed precursor of duct carcinoma in-situ, yet overexpression occurs almost always in high grade duct carcinoma in-situ. c-erbB-2 may play a critical role in the development of a clonal in-situ, proliferation of high histological grade, yet does not obviously influence the acquisition of an invasive phenotype.
In contrast, out of the 97 cases of invasive ductal carcinomas studied, 90 (93%) and 96 (99%) reacted positively with BC-I and FDC-6, respectively, the reaction being observed in the tumoral stroma connective tissue and in tumoral vessels.
In contrast, out of the 97 cases of invasive ductal carcinomas studied, 90 (93%) and 96 (99%) reacted positively with BC-I and FDC-6, respectively, the reaction being observed in the tumoral stroma connective tissue and in tumoral vessels.
By comparison, in a control group of infiltrating ductal carcinomas, expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1, lymphocyte function associated antigen-1, and Neu differentiation factor was positive in about 25 to 30% of the cases, HER-4 was expressed in 75% and HER-3 in 95% of the cases.
By comparison, in a control group of infiltrating ductal carcinomas, expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1, lymphocyte function associated antigen-1, and Neu differentiation factor was positive in about 25 to 30% of the cases, HER-4 was expressed in 75% and HER-3 in 95% of the cases.
In contrast, pronounced overexpression/nuclear accumulation of cyclin D1 was found in 37 per cent of cases in a series of 35 primary ductal carcinomas of the breast.
Enhanced expression of angiotensin II receptor subtypes and angiotensin converting enzyme in medroxyprogesterone-induced mouse mammary adenocarcinomas.
As glutathione S-transferase pi gene amplification appears unassociated with immunopositivity, other mechanisms are responsible for the production of this isoenzyme in infiltrating ductal carcinomas.
The absence of mutations in the E-cadherin gene and its conserved expression suggest that inactivation of E-cadherin does not contribute significantly to the invasion or metastatic potential of ductal carcinomas of the breast.
A quantitative method of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using both digoxigenin and radioactive labelled probes has been used for the detection of the c-erbB-2 proto-oncogene amplification in breast carcinomas with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections. c-erbB-2 proto-oncogene amplification has been demonstrated in 14 infiltrating ductal carcinomas.