DISTRIBUTION OF LAMININ, TYPE-IV COLLAGEN AND FIBRONECTIN IN THE INVASIVE COMPONENT OF BREAST-CARCINOMA

Laminin, type IV collagen and fibronectin were examined immunohistoche mically in the invasive component of breast carcinomas. Laminin was ex pressed around the invasive carcinoma cell nests in 38 (54%) of 71 cas es. Immunoreactivity for type IV collagen was observed around the inva sive carcinoma cell nests or the stroma apart from carcinoma cells in 44 (80%) of 55 cases. Fibronectin was strongly expressed in the stroma only in 75 (99%) of 76 cases. The expression of laminin significantly correlated with tubular formation in the invasive carcinoma cell nest s and showed a tendency to be correlative to estrogen receptor (ER) an d progesterone receptor (PgR) of carcinoma tissue, but no correlation among laminin expression, histological type, the age of patients, tumo r size and lymph node metastasis was noted. Type IV collagen and fibro nectin did not correlate to any clinicopathological factors such as hi stological type, grade of differentiation, the age of patients, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, ER and PgR status. No concordant expressi on of these extracellular matrices was seen.