67-KDA LAMININ-RECEPTOR EXPRESSION ADDS PROGNOSTIC INFORMATION TO INTRA-TUMORAL MICROVESSEL DENSITY IN NODE-NEGATIVE BREAST-CANCER

Experimental studies have shown that the 67-kDa laminin receptor (LRec ) is an important molecule for the interaction of tumour cells with th e extracellular matrix, and that it plays a role in the early steps of angiogenesis and in tumour invasion and metastasis. We performed a mu lti-parametric study in 171 node-negative breast cancers, followed for a median time of 6 years, to verify whether determination of the LRec provides prognostic information in addition to intra-tumoral microves sel density (IMD), a measure of tumour angiogenesis, and to other biol ogical and conventional indicators. A positive association between LRe c expression and high neovascularization was found, although it did no t reach significance. LRec was not associated either with other biolog ical markers (oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and p53 expres sion) or to the conventional prognostic features [menopausal status, t umour size, histological types, grading and peri-tumoral lymphatic ves sel invasion (PLVI)]. In univariate analysis, IMD, p53, PgR, PLVI, gra ding and tumour size were significant prognostic indicators of relapse -free survival (RFS). LRec expression approached significance when con sidered as a dichotomous variable, after having selected the optimum c utoff of 10% to distinguish high-risk from low-risk patients. For over all survival (OS), tumour size and IMD (continuous variable) were sign ificant prognostic factors, and p53 approached significance. In multiv ariate analysis for RFS, the joint variable LRec and vascularization w as the strongest independent prognostic factor, followed by PgR, PLVI and p53. For OS, tumour size was the only independent prognostic indic ator in this series. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.