Premium
c‐met tyrosine kinase receptor expression is associated with abnormal β‐catenin expression and favourable prognostic factors in invasive breast carcinoma
Author(s) -
Lydia Nakopoulou,
Hariklia Gakiopoulou,
Antonios Keramopoulos,
Ioanna Giannopoulou,
Pauline Athanassiadou,
J. Mavrommatis,
Panagiotis Davaris
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2559.2000.00847.x
Subject(s) - immunohistochemistry , receptor tyrosine kinase , tyrosine kinase , cancer research , carcinoma , pathology , hepatocyte growth factor receptor , breast cancer , breast carcinoma , c met , biology , medicine , cancer , receptor , hepatocyte growth factor
Aims Receptor‐type tyrosine kinases are important in cell signal transduction and proliferation. Abnormal expression of tyrosine kinases often leads to malignant transformation. c‐met is a tyrosine kinase receptor and its ligand is hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). In this study, we have evaluated c‐met expression in 69 invasive breast carcinomas and statistically analysed this expression with known clinicopathological prognostic parameters and patients' survival. We also studied for the first time c‐met expression in association with E‐cadherin and β‐catenin expression. Methods and results Immunohistochemistry (ABC‐HRP method) was peformed for the detection of c‐met, E‐cadherin and β‐catenin. c‐met immunoreactivity was observed in 58% of cases and was associated with the lobular type of breast carcinomas ( P = 0.012), low histological grade ductal carcinomas ( P = 0.05), favourable prognostic and predictive factors such as oestrogen and progesterone receptor immunohistochemical expression and negative c‐erbB‐2 expression ( P = 0.05, P = 0.014 and P = 0.03, respectively). c‐met immunoreactivity did not correlate with lymph node status, tumour size and stage of the disease. Cox's proportional hazard regression model demonstrated that tumours with positive c‐met immunoreactivity correlated significantly with favourable patients' survival ( P = 0.028). When c‐met staining was compared with E‐cadherin and β‐catenin expression, a statistical significant correlation was established between c‐met immunoreactivity and abnormal β‐catenin expression ( P = 0.025) suggesting possible involvement of c‐met in the downregulation of the E‐cadherin–catenin complex, possibly through tyrosine phosphorylation of β‐catenin. Conclusion c‐met immunohistochemical expression seems to be associated with abnormal β‐catenin expression, good prognostic and predictive factors and favourable outcome in breast cancer patients.