Clinical significance of cathepsin D assay in breast cancer tissues

✍ Scribed by Yukashi Itoh; Shunzo Kobayashi; Hirotaka Iwase; Hiroko Yamashita; Tatsuya Kuzushima; Hiroji Iwata; Toshinari Yamashita; Akihiro Naitoh; Dr. Kazuko Itoh; Akira Masaoka

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 474 KB
• Volume: 60
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-4790
• DOI: 10.1002/jso.2930600402

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Cathepsin D was assayed in 74 primary breast cancer specimens by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and immunohistochemical assay (ICA). Of the 74 specimens, 38 (51.4%) were scored positive by ICA, and 25 (33.8%) were scored positive by EIA. The coincidence rate between ICA and EIA was 71.6% (53/74). There was no significant correlation between cathepsin D and menopausal status, tumor size, number of metastatic lymph nodes, histologic type of the tumor, or steroid receptor status. Cathepsin D status designated by EIA or ICA predicted neither disease‐free survival (DFS) nor overall survival (OAS). Subset analysis with estrogen receptor, menopausal, and lymph node status revealed no association between cathepsin D and survival. Univariate analysis revealed no association between cathepsin D and DFS or OAS. Therefore, cathepsin D is not an independent prognostic factor in breast cancer. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.