the (or one of the) REASON WHY smaller is better in breast cancer!

[Lani]

Pathology. 2006 Oct;38(5):403-7. Links
Expression of adhesion proteins E-cadherin, alpha-catenin, beta-catenin and gamma-catenin is different in T1 and T2 breast tumours.

Bukholm IR,
Nesland JM,
Bukholm G.
Department of Surgery, Akershus University Hospital, Lorenskog, Norway.
Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women. Although an increasing number of patients with breast cancer are being cured by surgery, a considerable number of patients suffer relapse in the form of metastases after surgery. E-cadherin and catenins have documented roles in breast cancer progression. Mammography is supposed to decrease breast cancer mortality by detecting tumours while they are small and before they have reached a clinically detectable stage.Aim: In the present study, we wanted to evaluate whether there are differences in expression patterns of adhesion proteins, shown to be crucial in the metastatic process, between small tumours detected by mammography and clinically detected large tumours.Methods: Expression of E-cadherin, alpha-catenin, beta-catenin and gamma-catenin was analysed using immunohistochemistry methods in 86 invasive breast carcinomas detected by mammography and compared with 90 clinically palpable invasive breast carcinomas.Results: In the group of tumours detected by mammography (86 samples), reduced expression of E-cadherin was observed in 12 (14%) samples. Reduced expression of alpha-catenin was observed in four (4.6%) samples, and three (3.5%) samples showed reduced expression of beta-catenin. All samples showed strong expression of gamma-catenin. When expression patterns of these proteins were evaluated in 90 clinically detected tumours, we observed reduced expression of E-cadherin in 58 (64.4%) samples, 12 (13.3%) samples showed reduced expression of alpha-catenin, while nine (10%) samples showed reduced expression of beta-catenin. Strong expression of gamma-catenin was detected in all tumours also in this group.Statistical analyses revealed a highly significant difference in expression of E-cadherin (p<0.001). However, no statistically significant differences were observed in expression of alpha-catenin (p = 0.081) and beta-catenin (p = 0.092) between the two groups of tumours.Conclusion: Results indicate that T1 breast tumours harbour less alterations in E-cadherin-catenin complexes and therefore are probably less likely to disseminate, and patients probably have a better prognosis than if tumours are diagnosed as T2.
PMID: 17008277 [PubMed - in process]

[penelope]

alright so is it good to have expression or not?

[Bev]

Doesn't look good to me. Does this E-cadherin relate to any adjectives in a pathology report? BB

[Lani]

in your tumor...if you don't, the cells don't stick to each other and break off easily and migrate into the bloodstream and lymphatic system and float off to distant areas to take root as metastases.

They knew that her2+ breast cancer metastasized more easily/widely than other types of breast cancer, particularly plain old her2-ER+---but this also shows that there is some aspect/signal produced when a tumor gets beyond a certain size which allows less of the proteins hence more possibilities for metastases to form when cells break loose.

SO a smaller her2+ breast cancer is better than a larger one, but a her2- breast cancer (at least if not triple negative) is generally speaking less likely to metastasize or do so widely than a her2+ one.

[Bev]

Thanks Lani, I'll understand all this in 5 years. That's my goal. So sticky is good as it let's fewer cells travel. I was just wondering if this was something you could discern from your path report. Is sticky the same as matted? It just seems for me the more you learn the more there is to know. BB

[MJo]

Lani - thank you for interpreting these dense studies. I know they can be understood if we work at it, but my poor brain isn't up to it now. MJO

[Lani]

there is nothinig about sticky in your path report except perhaps indirectly lymphovascular invasion as the cells are thought to become unsticky before they squeeze their way between the sieve-like spaces between tiny blood vessel lining cells to get into the blood or lymph channels to go elsewhere.

This is inferred I think and not proven (see my next post, as another long held assumption is being questioned ie, that it is good to give glucocorticoids like dexamethasone with chemo)

Ecadherin and alpha and beta catenin are not generally stained for by pathologists--they are things research scientists are interested in in trying to unravel how breast cancer does the things it does.

[Bev]

Thanks Lani. having other fish to fry lately.My triple BC neg friend with mets and guy friend that has what looks like melanoma. Just keep piling on the studies Help us if you can. BB