Biomaterial Database

Correlations of bcl-2 expression with clinicopathological features in breast cancer. 1997

H D Lee, and J Y Koo, and W H Jung

Department of General Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

To evaluate the prognostic significance of bcl-2, we investigated the correlation of bcl-2 expression with the established indicators of prognosis and tumor behavior in breast cancer. This study included a patient group of 91 histologically diagnosed female breast carcinomas. To determine the bcl-2 immunoreactivity, we used a monoclonal antibody directed against the bcl-2 protein by immunohistochemistry from paraffin-embedded tissue in a series of 91 women with breast cancer. Interpretable DNA histograms were obtained from 84 patients. The median age at diagnosis was 45.5 years and the median follow-up time was 30.5 months. Forty-eight (52.7%) cancers showed the bcl-2 immunoreactivity in the cytoplasm. The nonneoplastic portion of ductal epithelial cells and normal lymphocytes were usually stained with bcl-2 antibody. Estrogen receptors (ER)(p < 0.001) and progesterone receptors (PR)(p < 0.001) showed strong positive correlation with bcl-2 immunoreactivity. The histologic grade (p < 0.05) and nuclear grade (p < 0.01) also showed positive relationships with bcl-2 positivity but tumor size (p > 0.05) and DNA ploidy (p > 0.05) were not related with it. The bcl-2 positive patients showed longer survival (p < 0.05) compared to bcl-2 negative tumors in univariate analysis (Kaplan-Meier life table analysis). Using multivariate analysis with Cox regression, bcl-2 (p > 0.05), nuclear grade (p > 0.05), ER status (p > 0.1) and PR status(p > 0.1) were not reliable indicators for overall survival except histologic grade (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that bcl-2 expression may be related to hormonal regulation and tumor differentiation in breast carcinoma. Larger patient study groups with a longer follow-up period will be helpful to clarify the prognostic significance of bcl-2.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D011960	Receptors, Estrogen	Cytoplasmic proteins that bind estrogens and migrate to the nucleus where they regulate DNA transcription. Evaluation of the state of estrogen receptors in breast cancer patients has become clinically important.	Estrogen Receptor,Estrogen Receptors,Estrogen Nuclear Receptor,Estrogen Receptor Type I,Estrogen Receptor Type II,Estrogen Receptors Type I,Estrogen Receptors Type II,Receptor, Estrogen Nuclear,Receptors, Estrogen, Type I,Receptors, Estrogen, Type II,Nuclear Receptor, Estrogen,Receptor, Estrogen
D011980	Receptors, Progesterone	Specific proteins found in or on cells of progesterone target tissues that specifically combine with progesterone. The cytosol progesterone-receptor complex then associates with the nucleic acids to initiate protein synthesis. There are two kinds of progesterone receptors, A and B. Both are induced by estrogen and have short half-lives.	Progesterone Receptors,Progestin Receptor,Progestin Receptors,Receptor, Progesterone,Receptors, Progestin,Progesterone Receptor,Receptor, Progestin
D001943	Breast Neoplasms	Tumors or cancer of the human BREAST.	Breast Cancer,Breast Tumors,Cancer of Breast,Breast Carcinoma,Cancer of the Breast,Human Mammary Carcinoma,Malignant Neoplasm of Breast,Malignant Tumor of Breast,Mammary Cancer,Mammary Carcinoma, Human,Mammary Neoplasm, Human,Mammary Neoplasms, Human,Neoplasms, Breast,Tumors, Breast,Breast Carcinomas,Breast Malignant Neoplasm,Breast Malignant Neoplasms,Breast Malignant Tumor,Breast Malignant Tumors,Breast Neoplasm,Breast Tumor,Cancer, Breast,Cancer, Mammary,Cancers, Mammary,Carcinoma, Breast,Carcinoma, Human Mammary,Carcinomas, Breast,Carcinomas, Human Mammary,Human Mammary Carcinomas,Human Mammary Neoplasm,Human Mammary Neoplasms,Mammary Cancers,Mammary Carcinomas, Human,Neoplasm, Breast,Neoplasm, Human Mammary,Neoplasms, Human Mammary,Tumor, Breast
D002278	Carcinoma in Situ	A lesion with cytological characteristics associated with invasive carcinoma but the tumor cells are confined to the epithelium of origin, without invasion of the basement membrane.	Carcinoma, Intraepithelial,Carcinoma, Preinvasive,Intraepithelial Neoplasms,Neoplasms, Intraepithelial,Intraepithelial Carcinoma,Intraepithelial Neoplasm,Neoplasm, Intraepithelial,Preinvasive Carcinoma
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D018270	Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast	An invasive (infiltrating) CARCINOMA of the mammary ductal system (MAMMARY GLANDS) in the human BREAST.	Carcinoma, Infiltrating Duct,Carcinoma, Invasive Ductal, Breast,Carcinoma, Mammary Ductal,Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Breast,Mammary Ductal Carcinoma,Carcinomas, Infiltrating Duct,Carcinomas, Mammary Ductal,Mammary Ductal Carcinomas
D019253	Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2	Membrane proteins encoded by the BCL-2 GENES and serving as potent inhibitors of cell death by APOPTOSIS. The proteins are found on mitochondrial, microsomal, and NUCLEAR MEMBRANE sites within many cell types. Overexpression of bcl-2 proteins, due to a translocation of the gene, is associated with follicular lymphoma.	bcl-2 Proto-Oncogene Proteins,c-bcl-2 Proteins,B-Cell Leukemia 2 Family Proteins,BCL2 Family Proteins,BCL2 Proteins,B Cell Leukemia 2 Family Proteins,Family Proteins, BCL2,Proteins, BCL2,Proteins, BCL2 Family,Proto Oncogene Proteins c bcl 2,Proto-Oncogene Proteins, bcl-2,bcl 2 Proto Oncogene Proteins,c bcl 2 Proteins,c-bcl-2, Proto-Oncogene Proteins