MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY BRE-3 PARTICIPATION IN A MULTIVARIATE PROGNOSTIC MODEL FOR INFILTRATING DUCTAL CARCINOMA OF THE BREAST

Monoclonal antibody (MoAb) BrE-3, an anti-human milk fat globule (HMFG ) MoAb, is used here as a novel prognostic indicator for survival and relapse time in patients with infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the bre ast. A scoring system (dr-Score method) was developed to this effect t hat measured, in a statistically reliable fashion, the level of expres sion of the epitope for MoAb BrE-3 in the cytoplasm and membranes of b reast carcinoma cells in paraffin-embedded sections. In univariate ana lysis, data obtained by the 4-Score Method as well as data from tradit ional prognostic indicators (tumor size, axillary node status, and gra de of differentiation) were found to be associated with patient surviv al and relapse. In multivariate analysis, using a Cox proportional haz ards regression model, levels of expression of BrE-3 epitope plus tumo r size and axillary node status were weighted and combined in an Indiv idual Linear Composite Prognostic Score (ILCPS) that had a high level of association with survival and relapse time in this sample model of patients with infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast. This level of association was found to be higher than the level of association fo r any other combination of traditional or 4-Score method variables. Th e level of expression of BrE-3 significantly adds to the prognostic ca pacity of traditional prognostic markers for infiltrating ductal carci noma of the breast.