C-ERBB-2, P53, AND NM23 GENE-PRODUCT EXPRESSION IN BREAST-CANCER IN YOUNG-WOMEN - IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CORRELATION

We studied c-erbB-2, p53, and nm23 gene products in 112 primary breast carcinomas. Fifty patients were aged 35 years or younger, and 62 were aged 36 to 50. Clinicopathological criteria including clinical stage, hormone receptor status, histological types, histological grades, and lymph node status, were reviewed. Disease-free survival (DFS) and ove rall survival (OS) were analyzed. Immunohistochemical findings were as sessed semiquantitatively. Correlation between clinicopathological cri teria, survival data, and immunohistochemical findings have been made. Patients aged younger than 35 years with stage I to II disease had a shorter DFS (P=.03) than older patients. However, no other clinicopath ological finding was associated with age. Neither was there associatio n between age and c-erbB-2, p53, or nm23 patterns of expression. p53 p ositivity was associated with high histological grade (P =.003) and wi th progesterone receptor negativity (P=.045). Nm23 nuclear positivity was associated with early clinical stages (P =.011) and with absence o f axillary lymph node metastasis (P=.007). p53 and c-erbB-2 overexpres sion were associated with shorter OS while nm23 nuclear positivity was associated with longer OS in univariate and multivariate analyses. Un ivariate analyses showed that c-erbB-2 or nm23 were potentially import ant prognostic factors in women aged 35 years or younger while p53 was associated with prognosis in women aged 36 to 50. Cox model analysis indicated that c-erbB-2 alone was associated with prognosis in women 3 5 years and younger, whereas p53 alone was associated with prognosis i n 36- to 50-year-old women. These results suggest that breast cancer i n the youngest women has some biological specificity. Copyright (C) 19 98 by W.B. Saunders Company.