CORRELATION OF TUMOUR PROLIFERATIVE COMPARTMENT, STEROID RECEPTOR EXPRESSION AND GRADE IN INFILTRATING DUCT CARCINOMA OF BREAST.

Corresponding Author:
Dr. Sheima Rama Das,
Associate Professor,
Department of Pathology,
Government Medical College, Konni.
E-mail: sheimajaisankar@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND

Hormone receptor evaluation is an important component of breast carcinoma prognostication and is essential for selection of patients for adjuvant chemotherapy. Proliferation is the key for growth and progress of all malignancies. This study is done to determine the proliferative fraction, hormone receptor expression, grade and nodal status in infiltrating duct carcinoma of breast.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

It was a descriptive study; 49 cases of breast lesions were studied, of which 45 cases were confirmed by histopathology as infiltrating duct carcinoma and 2 cases as fibroadenoma and 2 of normal breast tissue received in the Department of Pathology, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram for one year. None of the patients had any previous therapy. Haematoxylin and Eosin stained sections were used to confirm the diagnosis of infiltrating duct carcinoma and for Bloom-Richardson grading. Immunohistochemistry was done in the serial section for the expression of ER, PR and PCNA. These were evaluated and correlated with clinical variables like grade and nodal status.

RESULTS

ER expression showed strong positive correlation with PR with majority of tumours being negative for ER and PR. ER/PR expression by tumour cells showed an inverse correlation with PCNA expression and grade; with higher-grades tumours showing intense PCNA and negative ER/PR expression.

CONCLUSION

An inverse relation occurs between proliferative fraction of tumour and ER/PR expression status in infiltrating duct carcinoma of the breast. High grade and node positive tumours show a higher proliferation fraction and lower levels of oestrogen and progesterone receptor expression. Even though hormonal stimuli play a role in breast carcinogenesis, tumour progression is paralleled by a progressive hormone independence.

KEYWORDS

Breast carcinoma - Oestrogen Progesterone Receptor Expression, PCNA, Grade and Nodal Status.