TENASCIN PATTERN OF EXPRESSION AND ESTABLISHED PROGNOSTIC FACTORS IN INVASIVE BREAST-CARCINOMA

Background and Objectives: Immunohistochemical methods were used to st udy Tenascin (TN) expression in invasive duct cell carcinoma (IDCC) of the breast and its established prognostic factors. Methods: We studie d 115 patients with IDCC. The mean patient age was 62 years; all tumor s were graded according to Scarf-Bloom and Richardson. Complete surviv al information was available for all patients (median follow-up 65 mon ths). Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival tissue from all 115 I DCC were immunostained with monoclonal mouse Anti-Human Tenascin (DAKO -TN2M636; 1/50 dilution). Positivity was recorded on a scale of 0-4 fo r percentage of TN staining in the tumor stroma. Results: TN showed th ick bands around advancing tumor nests and in poorly differentiated tu mors, TN fibers had an interstitial pattern surrounding single tumor c ells. TN score was significantly positively correlated with high nucle ar grade (P < 0.05), histologic grade (P < 0.01), mitotic grade (P < 0 .005), and combined grade (P < 0.01). TN score did not correlate with long-term survival or with other prognostic factors studied. Conclusio ns: TN expression was more prominent in tumors with a high combined hi stologic grade. Our results may suggest that while TN may play a role in limiting tumor spread as proposed by other studies, it may not repr esent a prognostic factor in invasive breast carcinoma. (C) 1998 Wiley -Liss, Inc.