IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF CATHEPSIN-D EXPRESSION IN PRIMARY BREAST CARCINOMAS

Cathepsin-D is a lysosomal protease implicated in cancer metastases an d its association in breast carcinomas appears to be of prognostic sig nificance. In the present study expression of cathepsin-D was evaluate d in 134 primary breast carcinomas fixed in formalin and paraffin embe dded using immunohistochemical technique. Expression of cathepsin-D wa s analyzed in relation to clinico-pathological parameters and tumor ma rkers such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), c-erbB2 and p53 . Overexpression of cathepsin-D was detected in 54% of comedo ductal c arcinoma in situ (DCIS), 65% of invasive ductal carcinomas, 71% of car cinomas containing both the in situ and invasive lesions and 20% of in vasive lobular carcinomas. Significant: association was observed betwe en strong immunopositivity of cathepsin-D and lymph node status, high histological grade and EGFR but not with estrogen receptor, age of pat ient, c-erbB2 and p53. These observations suggest that overexpression of cathepsin-D in noninvasive, noninvasive and invasive in the same le sions and invasive carcinomas indicates that cathepsin-D may be involv ed in promoting tumor invasion. Its association with lymph node metast ases, high tumor grade and EGFR shows that cathepsin-D may have potent ial to be an indicator for poor prognosis.