J Korean Breast Cancer Soc.  1998 Jun;1(1):92-102. 10.4048/jkbcs.1998.1.1.92.

Expression of P53, Bcl-2 Proteins and Hormone Receptors in Human Breast Cancer

• Lee CH

• KMID: 2173699
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4048/jkbcs.1998.1.1.92

Abstract

In a study of 56 breast cancer patients (infiltrating ductal carcinoma) with a follow-up period of more than 5 years, bcl-2 and p53 oncoprotein were determined by immunohistochemistry. The aims of this study were two folds : (1) to determined whether bcl-2 and p53 are expressed in breast cancer and its possible role in cell transformation, on the light of the relationship to estrogen and progesterone receptors, and (2) to assess whether bcl-2 and p53 immunoreactivity is associated with important clinicopathological parameters and with patient survival, including estrogen and progesterone receptors. Twelve of 56 (21.4%) carcinoma were Bcl-2 positive, and seventeen (30.4%) were 53-positive. A positive relationship was seen between bcl-2 and estrogen receptor(ER), with 11 of 12 (91.7%) bcl-2 positive tumors being ER positive (0.050.05). A strong negative relationship was observed between p53 and ER with seven of 17 (52.9%) p53 positive tumors being ER positive (p<0.05), and between p53 and PR with eight of 17 (47.1%) tumors being PR positive (p<0.05). Bcl-2 protein expression showed a significant relationship to low histologic grade of tumor (p<0.05), lower recurrence rate (0.050.1). In conclusion, the role of bcl-2 in breast cancer is presumed that bcl-2 may be an ER- regulated gene and loss of bcl-2 expression in breast cancer is associated with a range of molecular markers of poor prognosis and maybe define part of ER negative phenotype. The data presented herein may also have therapeutic implications that bcl-2 immunoreactivity of breast carcinoma can be a predictor of a therapeutic response to antiestrogenic therapy. The p53 expression may be also marker of aggressive carcinomas. But this prognostic power is likely to be weak and unlikely, therefore, to be of clinocal significance.

MeSH Terms

Breast Neoplasms*
Breast*
Estrogen Receptor Modulators
Estrogens
Follow-Up Studies
Humans*
Immunohistochemistry
Lymph Nodes
Neoplasm Metastasis
Oncogenes
Phenotype
Prognosis
Receptors, Progesterone
Recurrence
Estrogen Receptor Modulators
Estrogens
Receptors, Progesterone