Immunohistochemical study of hormone receptor and hormone-regulated protein expression in phyllodes tumour: comparison with fibroadenoma

Abstract

The histogenesis of phyllodes tumour (PT) and that of fibroadenoma (FA) of the breast appear to be closely related. FA is thought to be hormonally responsive, while the hormone-responsiveness of PT is uncertain. To gain insight into hormone-responsiveness of PT, we performed immunohistochemical analysis of oestrogen-regulated pS2 and androgen-regulated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) protein expression and also of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR) and androgen receptor (AR) expression in paraffin sections obtained from 50 female PT patients. Paraffin sections taken from 50 female fibroadenoma (FA) patients were analysed for comparison. ER, PgR, pS2, AR and PSA expression were detected in 32%, 96%, 20%, 98% and 4.0% of PT sections and in 28%, 96%, 42%, 80% and 10% of FA sections, respectively. No correlations were detected among ER, PgR and pS2 expression or between AR and PSA expression in PT or FA sections. PgR expression was significantly associated with AR expression in PT (P<0.0001). The present investigations indicate that PT and FA have almost similar hormone receptor status. However, different positivities of pS2 expression suggest that oestrogen-responsiveness may differ between PT and FA. In addition, a wide-ranging co-expression of AR and PgR in PT sections suggests that these receptors may play an important part in the proliferation, although the functional significance of these receptors should be elucidated.

Phyllodes tumor of the breast: an update

“…Progesterone receptor expression is common, and estrogen a receptor expression is less common [25]. Estrogen a and progesterone receptor expression has been shown in 43% and 84%, respectively, of the epithelium and less than 5% of the stromal cells [26].…”

Estrogen receptor-β is expressed in stromal cells of fibroadenoma and phyllodes tumors of the breast

“…6 The classical mediator of the response to estradiol and tamoxifen is the estrogen receptor (ER)-a, but in fibroadenomas and phyllodes tumors, ER-a is mainly expressed by epithelial cells, while its expression by stromal cells is controversial. [7][8][9][10] A recent study demonstrated that only the ER-b isoforms are found in stromal cells of the adult human mammary gland. 11 All these data taken together motivated us to investigate whether ER-b could be expressed by the stromal cells in fibroadenomas and phyllodes tumors.…”

Expression of Presenilin-2 and Glutathione S Transferase π and Their Clinical Significance in Breast Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma

“…The PS2 expression in breast cancer relates to the expression of the estrogen receptor. The tumorsly negative for ER-dependent estrogen hardly express the PS2 [3] . The method of immunohistochemistry had testified that positive ER cells are not distributed on average in a body, every patient have two clone cells: ER positive or ER negative; We also know that the protein of ER may have faults, although it can combine with special hormones, it can't exert its functions so that hormones can't work properly.…”