Prognostic role of syncytin expression in breast cancer

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelfagfællebedømt

  • Lars-Inge Larsson
  • Susanne Holck
  • Ib Jarle Christensen
Breast cancer cells were recently found to produce syncytin, an endogenous retroviral protein implicated in cell fusion, immune regulation, and nitric oxide synthase expression. To determine whether syncytin has a prognostic role in breast cancer, we investigated a series of 165 premenopausal lymph node-negative women for syncytin expression using an immunocytochemical scoring system. Results were analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method and with the Cox proportional hazard model. Syncytin expression was observed in 38% of the patients, and the degree of syncytin expression constituted a positive prognostic indicator for recurrence-free survival. In addition, we examined a second series of 54 consecutively operated breast cancer patients of all categories and the results supported the conclusions made from the first study. Thus, syncytin expression constitutes a positive prognostic factor in breast cancer - a phenomenon that may be related to the involvement of syncytin in mediating fusions between breast cancer cells and entodhelial cells.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftHuman Pathology
Vol/bind38
Udgave nummer5
Sider (fra-til)726-731
Antal sider6
ISSN0046-8177
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2007

ID: 8069272