RESUMO
AIMS: Although axillary lymph nodes status, tumour size, hormonal-receptor status and histological grade at diagnosis are frequently used to orient the treatment of breast cancer patients, some tumours recur in patients with early stage disease. Pre-operative assessment of individual tumour characteristics, based on oncogenes and growth factors related to tumour growth, invasion or metastasis, may guide the treatment for patients with breast carcinomas. METHODS: We examine here the prognostic significance of cyclin D1, urokinase type plasminogen activator, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor, and c-erbB2 expression in pre-operatively obtained fine-needle aspirates from breast carcinomas less than or equal to 3 cm in size. Correlation between mRNA expression of these factors and clinicopathological characteristics was analysed. RESULTS: The level of c-erbB2 mRNA expression was significantly higher in tumours with lymph node metastases than in those without lymph node metastases. VEGF mRNA expression positively correlated with the degree of angiogenesis as quantitated by immunohistological staining with a CD31 monoclonal antibody. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of c-erbB2 and VEGF mRNA expression in fine-needle aspirates may be useful in assessing the malignant potential of individual breast carcinomas, leading to a pre-operative discrimination of a high-risk group.
Assuntos
Neoplasias da Mama/química , Fatores de Crescimento Endotelial/análise , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Linfocinas/análise , Receptor ErbB-2/análise , Actinas/análise , Southern Blotting , Neoplasias da Mama/patologia , Neoplasias da Mama/cirurgia , Ciclina D1/análise , Primers do DNA , Fatores de Crescimento Endotelial/genética , Feminino , Humanos , Linfocinas/genética , Ativadores de Plasminogênio/análise , Fator de Crescimento Derivado de Plaquetas/análise , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/métodos , Prognóstico , RNA Mensageiro/química , RNA Neoplásico/química , DNA Polimerase Dirigida por RNA , Receptor ErbB-2/genética , Fator A de Crescimento do Endotélio Vascular , Fatores de Crescimento do Endotélio VascularRESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Tumor angiogenesis is receiving increased attention as a prognostic factor and also as a possible target for new anticancer agents. We investigated whether extent of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA expression correlated with degree of neovascularization, and whether this expression in fine-needle aspirates could be a marker for assessing angiogenic potential of breast tumors. METHODS: VEGF mRNA expression was semiquantitated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed by Southern blotting. Tumor neovascularization was assessed by immunohistochemical staining with anti-CD31 (PECAM) antibody. RESULTS: There was a positive correlation between degree of neovascularization and semiquantitated VEGF mRNA expression in invasive ductal carcinomas (r2 = 0.346, n = 48, P < 0.05). Extent of VEGF mRNA expression in fine-needle aspirates was closely correlated with that in resected invasive ductal carcinomas equal to or less than 3 cm in size (r2 = 0.874, n = 14, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that semiquantitation of VEGF mRNA expression in fine-needle aspirates is useful for assessing angiogenic potential of invasive ductal carcinomas.