SPECIFIC ONCOLOGICAL CONTRIBUTION OF CATHEPSIN-D AND PS2 IN HUMAN BREAST-CANCER - THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH TNM STATUS, ESTRADIOL RECEPTORS, EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR AND NEU AMPLIFICATION

The present study attempts to clarify the specific contribution of cat hepsin D (CD) and pS2 to the progression of breast cancer (BC) by exam ining the relationship between these two factors and TNM status, tumou r grade, estradiol receptors (ER) and the prognosis factors epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and nea amplification in a group of 270 BC patients, CD and pS2 were determined by an immunoradiometric proced ure in tumour cytosols obtained for ER. Neu amplifications were evalua ted by dot-blot, in tumour DNA. EGFR was determined in membrane tumour preparations obtained from ER cytosols by a two-point radiometric sat uration assay, CD is basically related to bad prognosis factors and ha s a direct correlation with tumour size (P = 0.025) and EGFR content ( P = 0.007) and is associated with the presence of metastases (P = 0.00 0), pS2 is mostly related to good prognosis factors and showed an inve rse correlation with the Scarff-Bloom Index (P = 0.011) and a direct c orrelation with ER content (P = 0.014). Finally, pS2 and CD also showe d a strong mutual association (P = 0.009) and the fact that both corre lated with ER content confirms in tumours the experimental finding tha t they are estrogen-induced proteins.