Correlation of two methods for determination of cathepsin D in breast carcinoma (immunohistochemistry and ELISA in cytosol).

ABSTRACT

We have studied the correlation of two methods (immunohistology and ELISA in cytosol) of cathepsin D (CD) determination in breast carcinoma patients. Fifty six specimens of tumor tissue were collected consecutively, and CD expression in tumor tissue and tissue macrophages was determined by standard immunohistochemistry using the aNCL-CDm anti-cathepsin D mouse monoclonal antibody (Novocastra Laboratories Ltd., Newcastle, UK). Additionally, CD concentration was determined by ELISA in cytosol of the same breast carcinoma specimens. CD positivity was correlated with tumor size, histological grade of tumor, and the cytosol progesterone adn estrogen receptor concentrations. There was no statistically significant correlation between examined parameters and either CD positivity by immunohistochemistry or cytosol CD concentration. The correlation between CD expression in tumor cells of breast carcinoma by immunohistochemistry and cytosol CD positivity was not found either. However, there was a significant association between abundance of CD positive stromal macrophages and cytosol CD concentration in all histological tumor types (p < 0.05). CD positive macrophages were abundant in most of cytosol CD positive specimens. These results suggest that breast cancer cytosol CD concentration is the cumulative result of CD content in both carcinoma cells and stromal macrophages.