Expression and prognostic significance of lysozyme in male breast cancer

Abstract

FBC = female breast cancer; HSCORE = histological score; MBC = male breast cancer; RFS = relapse-free survival.Available online http://breast-cancer-research.com/content/4/6/R16 AbstractBackground: Lysozyme, one of the major protein components of human milk that is also synthesized by a significant percentage of breast carcinomas, is associated with lesions that have a favorable outcome in female breast cancer. Here we evaluate the expression and prognostic value of lysozyme in male breast cancer (MBC). Methods: Lysozyme expression was examined by immunohistochemical methods in a series of 60 MBC tissue sections and in 15 patients with gynecomastia. Staining was quantified using the HSCORE (histological score) system, which considers both the intensity and the percentage of cells staining at each intensity. Prognostic value of lysozyme was retrospectively evaluated by multivariate analysis taking into account conventional prognostic factors. Results: Lysozyme immunostaining was negative in all cases of gynecomastia. A total of 27 of 60 MBC sections (45%) stained positively for this protein, but there were clear differences among them with regard to the intensity and percentage of stained cells. Statistical analysis showed that lysozyme HSCORE values in relation to age, tumor size, nodal status, histological grade, estrogen receptor status, metastasis and histological type did not increase the statistical significance. Univariate analysis confirmed that both nodal involvement and lysozyme values were significant predictors of short-term relapse-free survival. Multivariate analysis, according to Cox`s regression model, also showed that nodal status and lysozyme levels were significant independent indicators of short-term relapse-free survival. Conclusion: Tumor expression of lysozyme is associated with lesions that have an unfavorable outcome in male breast cancer. This milk protein may be a new prognostic factor in patients with breast cancer.

A Low-Cost Inkjet-Printed Aptamer-Based Electrochemical Biosensor for the Selective Detection of Lysozyme

“…Having a molecular weight of 14.4 kDa with a primary sequence containing 129 amino acids and an isoelectric point of 11.0, lysozyme is a ubiquitous enzyme widely available in diverse organisms such as bacteria, bacteriophages, fungi, plants and mammals [ 4 , 5 ]. Lysozyme also plays an important role as a biomarker for diagnosing diseases such as breast cancer [ 6 ], Alzheimer’s disease [ 7 ], rheumatoid arthritis [ 8 ], malaria [ 9 ], AIDS [ 10 ], tuberculosis and leprosy [ 11 ], sarcoidosis [ 12 ], and Crohn’s disease [ 13 ]. Typically, the concentration of lysozyme in a healthy person’s saliva is 13.8 µg/mL [ 14 ], whereas the concentration is 0.463–2.958 µg/mL in a healthy person’s serum [ 1 ].…”

Identification of CEA-interacting proteins in colon cancer cells and their changes in expression after irradiation

“…Lysozyme is one of the major protein components of human milk, but it is also synthesized by various types of cancer cells [ 20 , 21 ]. The expression of lysozyme was positively correlated with a favorable outcome in breast cancer [ 20 ] and was upregulated to a greater extent in mucinous cell carcinomas than in well-differentiated and poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinomas [ 21 ]. Lysozyme directly activates immune cells and increases tumor cell immunogenicity [ 22 ], which have been confirmed in a number of experimental cases [ 22 - 24 ].…”

Male breast cancer arising in ectopic axillary breast tissue: A diagnostic dilemma

“…In addition, mammaglobin-A has previously been used for the non-invasive, in vivo detection of cancerous cells in mouse breast cancer with metastatic axillary lymph nodes and has shown a high resolution and specificity, indicating a potential for future translation into the provision of clinical guidance (13). Serra et al (14) reported that lysozyme-positive male breast cancer has an unfavorable outcome.…”