Immunohistochemical studies on oncogene products (EGF-R, c-erbB-2) and growth factors (EGF, TGF-α) in human breast cancer: their relationship to oestrogen receptor status, histological grade, mitotic index and nodal status

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Abstract
In this investigation, 83 human mammary carcinomas were examined for the expression of oestrogen receptor (ER), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R), epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α), c-erbB-2, histological grade, mitotic index and nodal status, all of which are reportedly prognostically significant factors (Bloom and Richardson 1957; Baak et al. 1985; Wright et al. 1989). ER expression was biochemically recognized in 43.4% of mammary carcinomas, and EGF-R, EGF, TGF-α and c-erbB-2 were histochemically recognized in 25.3, 14.5, 27.7 and 18.0% of mammary carcinomas examined respectively, using conventional sections of buffered formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue and monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies. There were significant relationships between negative ER and positive EGF-R or TGF-α; positive EGF-R and TGF-α; positive EGF-R and c-erbB-2; and positive c-erbB-2 and TGF-α. The single changes which were the negative ER and the positive c-erbB-2 correlated with histological grade and mitotic index. Co-expression of EGF-R and TGF-α correlated with positive nodal status. Therefore, the present investigation indicates that the negative ER, single expression of c-erbB-2 and co-expression of EGF-R and TGF-α are important markers which contribute indirectly to prognosis, which reconfirms previous findings on the former two while adding the new finding that immuno-histochemical demonstration of expression of EGF-R and TGF-α may provide useful information for selecting the appropriate treatment.