Prognostic evaluation of oestrogen-regulated protein immunoreactivity in ductal invasive (NOS) breast cancer

Abstract

Determination of steroid receptors and several oestrogen-regulated proteins in mammary carcinomas is useful in the prediction of their evolution and of the likely success of endocrine therapy. Cathepsin D (Cat D), pS2 peptide and heat shock protein 27 (Hsp 27) were detected immunohistochemically in 63 infiltrating ductal (NOS) breast carcinomas, and our results were qualitatively correlated with several clinicopathological indicators and patients' overall survival. Cat D immunostaining of tumour cells was strongly associated with axillary nodal involvement (Pf = 0.0005) and so, it is directly connected with the metastatic capacity of malignant cells. pS2 immunoreactivity was correlated with oestrogen and progesterone receptor positivity (Pf = 0.0009 and Pf = 0.05 respectively) and, nonsignificantly, with good differentiation of the tumours (Pf = 0.06). Neoplastic cells expressing this protein are therefore characterised by a highly organised state of cellular physiology. Hsp 27 was expressed predominantly in tumours with one to four infiltrated lymph nodes (Pt = 0.05), and Hsp 27-positive patients were inclined to rather short survival, possibly due to chemotherapy resistance. In future, prognostic estimation of each one of the examined markers should be performed in specific large subgroups of patients. The findings of this study contribute to the establishment of criteria by which these subgroups should be formed.

Overexpression of human 27 kDa heat shock protein in laryngeal cancer cells confers chemoresistance associated with cell growth delay

“…Furthermore, several studies have demonstrated that the expression of HSP27 is increased in various human cancers, suggesting that the cytoprotective activity of HSP27 might aVect tumorigenesis and the susceptibility of tumors to cancer treatment (Richards et al 1996;Vargas-Roig et al 1998;Fortin et al 2000). Supporting this postulation, HSP27 expression was reported to be correlated with a poor prognosis after surgery or a resistance to adjuvant therapy in many types of cancers including gastric cancer, breast cancer, osteosarcoma, and prostate carcinoma (Paulus et al 1993;Nakopoulou et al 1995;Liu et al 1996;Uozaki et al 1997). In head and neck cancers, HSP27 has been frequently shown to be expressed at high levels in squamous cell carcinomas over the oral cavity, the orophyarynx and larynx, as well as in normal upper respiratory tract mucosa (Sugerman et al 1995;Gandour-Edwards et al 1998).…”

Heat Shock Proteins 27 and 70: Anti-Apoptotic Proteins with Tumorigenic Properties

“…139 Despite this, clinico-pathological studies attempting to correlate HSP27 protein level in breast cancers after hormone therapy with tumor progression and clinical outcome have provided contradictory results. 117,140 It is therefore possible that the chemo-protective effects of HSPs, under certain circumstances, may be bypassed by a variety of other modulators of drug resistance in human tumors. It should be noted, however, that HSP27 phosphorylation status is not taken into account in most in vivo studies.…”

Prognostic significance of heat shock proteins 27 and 70 in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus

“…18 Another clinically significant characteristic of HSPs is that they affect the tumor's susceptibility to adjuvant cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, hyperthermia, and radiation. Despite contradictions regarding the prognostic significance after surgical treatment, many studies consistently have reported that tumors with HSPs are more resistant to adjuvant therapies than those without HSPs in the case of breast carcinoma, 19,20 osteosarcoma, 21 and prostate carcinoma. 22 Mechanistic studies with cultured cell lines revealed that this was because of up-regulation of cell proliferation and/or prevention of apoptosis.…”