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Prognostic value of thymidine phosphorylase expression in breast carcinoma
Author(s) -
Yang Qifeng,
Barbareschi Mattia,
Mori Ichiro,
Mauri Francesco,
Muscarà Maurizio,
Nakamura Misa,
Nakamura Yasushi,
Yoshimura Goro,
Sakurai Takeo,
Caffo Orazio,
Galligioni Enzo,
Dalla Palma Paolo,
Kakudo Kennichi
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.1633
Subject(s) - thymidine phosphorylase , angiogenesis , breast carcinoma , medicine , breast cancer , chemotherapy , immunohistochemistry , cyclophosphamide , oncology , fluorouracil , cancer research , pathology , cancer
Thymidine phosphorylase (TP), also known as platelet‐derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD‐ECGF), is an enzyme that catalyzes the reversible dephosphorylation of thymidine, deoxyuridine and their analogs. TP has also angiogenic properties, although the precise mechanism by which it promotes angiogenesis is not known. We examined TP expression using immunohistochemistry (654‐1 Mab) in 182 invasive breast carcinomas (67 N0 and 115 N1/2; median follow‐up 78 months [range, 3–177]; 51 patients treated with adjuvant systemic cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5‐fluorouracil [CMF] chemotherapy and 82 with tamoxifen). High TP expression was found in 142 cases (78%) and correlated with lower histologic grade and low p53 expression. No correlation was found between TP expression and vascular density. TP‐positive tumors had a significant increase in both disease‐free survival (DFS; p = 0.0025) and overall survival (OS; p = 0.0070) in the total cohort of patients and in the subgroups of node‐positive patients and patients treated with CMF adjuvant therapy; no significant difference in either DFS or OS was observed in patients without CMF treatment. Our findings suggest that TP has little effect on tumor angiogenesis of breast carcinoma, whereas it could represent an interesting marker that could predict response to CMF chemotherapy. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.