VIMENTIN AND ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN EXPRESSION IN BREAST-CANCER SMEARS - RELATIONSHIP WITH VARIOUS PROGNOSTIC FACTORS

Estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptor status, factors known to influence the prognosis and therapeutic possibilities in patients with breast cancer; alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), which is an estrogen binder; and vimentin (V) were determined in cytological imprint smears of 75 m astectomy specimens. The results were classified according to tumor ty pe and menopausal state and analyzed to determine possible relationshi ps among these four markers under the different circumstances. There w as a positive association of ER positivity with PR positivity, AFP pos itivity, and V negativity using chi(2) analysis. The lobular carcinoma s studied were predominantly ER+, AFP(+), V-, while in the ductal carc inomas V positivity was marginally predominant and also frequently ass ociated with ER+ or PR+ status. The small number of medullary carcinom as made statistical analysis of this group difficult. It seemed probab le that the marker status of the tumors was dependent more on the tumo r type than on the menopausal state of the patients, though follow-up, especially of V+ medullary carcinomas, may provide insight into the v alue of vimentin as a primary rather than a secondary prognostic facto r.