Purpose: The tumor suppressor gene PTEN is located on chromosome 10q23 and is mutated in a variety of sporadic cancers. The aim of this study is to understand the expression of the PTEN gene product in invasive breast cancer and its relationships with clinicopathologic factors of breast cancer.
Methods: The hospital records and pathologic findings of 57 patients who underwent breast operation due to invasive breast carcinoma between January 1996 and June 2002 were reviewed. We examined the relationships between PTEN expression and various clinicopathologic factors of breast cancer such as age, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, histologic grade, nuclear grade, stage and estrogen, and progesterone receptors.
Results: Among the 57 invasive breast cancers, 5 (8.8%) were immunohistochemically negative, and 14 (24.6%) had reduced expression of PTEN. Among clinicopathologic factors, age, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, stage, histologic grade, and estrogen receptor had no correlation with PTEN expression. Nuclear grade and positive progesterone receptor were significant correlated with decreased PTEN expression, However, these results are different from those of other reports showing that negative progesterone receptor was significantly correlated with the decrease of PTEN expression.
Conclusion: According to other reports, PTEN expression does play some role as a prognostic factor for breast cancer, but the results of our study did not support this hypothesis. Further evaluation and study are required into the role of PTEN as a prognostic factor of breast cancer.
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