Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Prognostic relevance of tn expression in Breast Cancer

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Breast Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Abnormal glycosylation patterns have been recognized as a feature of carcinoma-associated mucins. The expression of the Tn antigen in breast cancer tissue was investigated to assess its prognostic relevance.

Methods

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded materials from 219 patients with breast cancer were used. Immunohistochemical staining of the Tn antigen was retrospectively investigated and a lesion staining 10% or more was considered positive.

Results

Tn antigen expression was present in 99 (45%) of 219 lesions. There were no correlations between Tn antigen expression and mean patient age, nodal status, estrogen receptor status, or menopausal status, but there was a slightly significant association between Tn and tumor size. Patients negative for the Tn antigen had a significantly better survival rate than those who were positive. Multivariate analysis also indicated that Tn expression correlated significantly with overall survival in addition to nodal status and tumor size.

Conclusions

Tn expression was a significant prognostic factor in breast cancer, but the significance was lost on multivariate analysis. The biological implication of Tn expression in breast cancer needs further investigation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

CI:

Confidence interval

ER:

Estrogen receptor

References

  1. Hakomori S: Aberrant glycosylation in cancer and membranes as focused on glycolipids; Overview and perspectives.Cancer Res 45:2405–2414, 1985.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Burchell J, Gender S, Tayler-Papadimitriou J,et al: Development and characterization of breast cancer reactive monoclonal antibodies directed to the core protein of the human milk mucin.Cancer Res 47:5476–5482, 1987.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Singhal A, Hakomori S: Molecular changes in carbohydrate antigens associated with cancer.Bioassays 12:223–230, 1990.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Parry G, Beck JC, Moss L,et al: Determination of apical membrane polarity in mammary epithelial cell cultures: the role of cell-cell substratum and membrane-cytoskeleton interactions.Exp Cell Res 188:302–311, 1990.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Springer GF: Immunoreactive T and Tn epitopes in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and immunotherapy.J Mol Med 75:594–602, 1997.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Inoue M, Ogawa H, Nakanishi H,et al: Clinical value of serum sialosyl-Tn antigens in patients with gynecologic tumors.Obstet Gynecol 75:1032–1036, 1990.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Itzkowitz SH, Bloom EJ, Kokal WA,et al: Sialosyl-Tn; A novel mucin antigen associated with prognosis in colorectal cancer patients.Cancer 66:1960–1966, 1990.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Japanese Breast Cancer Society: The general rules for clinical and pathological recording of breast cancer.Jpn J Surg 19:612–632, 1989.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Hirohashi S, Clausen H, Tamada T,et al: Blood group A cross-reacting epitope defined by monoclonal antibodies NCC-Lu-35 and -81 expressed in cancer of blood group O or B individuals; Its identification as Tn antigen.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 82:7039–7043, 1985.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Springer GF, Desai PR, Bantwala I: Blood group MN precursors in normal and malignant human breast glandular tissue.J Natl Cancer Inst 54:335–339, 1975.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Springer GF: Tn epitope (N-acetyl-D-galactosamine α —O-serine/threonine) density in primary breast carcinoma; A functional predictor of aggressiveness.Mol Immunol 26:1–5, 1989.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Hammarstrom S, Kabat EA: Purification and characterization of a blood group A reactive hemagglutinin from the snailHelix pomatia and a study of its combining site.Biochemistry 8:2696–2705, 1969.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Bresaulier RS, Ho SB, Schoeppner HL,et al: Enhanced sialylation of mucin-associated carbohydrate structure in human colon cancer metastasis.Gastroenterology 110:1354–1367, 1996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Springer GF, Taylor CR, Howard DR,et al: Tn, a carcinoma-associated antigen, reacts with anti-Tn of normal human sera.Cancer 55:561–569, 1985.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Di Stefano D, Mingazzini PL, Sucucchi L,et al: Comparative study of histopathology, hormone receptors, peanut lectin binding, Ki-67 immunostaining, and nucleolar organizer region-associated proteins in human breast cancer.Cancer 67:463–471, 1981.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Fisher B, Slack N, Katrych D,et al: Ten-year follow-up results of patients with carcinoma of the breast in a cooperative clinical trial evaluating surgical adjuvant chemotherapy.Surg Gynecol Obstet 140:528–534, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Narita T, Funahashi H, Satoh Y,et al: A study of the Tn and sialyl Tn antigens expression in breast cancer tissue.Jpn J Cancer Clin 38:535–540, 1992(in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Nomoto M, Yonezawa S, Tokunaga M,et al: Mucin antigen expression and Ki-67 labelling in breast cancer; The peculiarity in scirrhous carcinoma.Pathology International 45:233–239, 1995.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Kawaguchi T: Adhesion molecules and carbohydrates in cancer metastasis.Rinsho Byori 44:1138–1146, 1996(in Japanese with English abstract).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Surgery II, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan

    Atsuo Tsuchiya, Masahiko Kanno, Yoshiyuki Endo, Guo-Jun Zhang, Tohru Ohtake & Izo Kimijima

  2. Departments of Pathology II, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan

    Takanori Kawaguchi

Authors
  1. Atsuo Tsuchiya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Masahiko Kanno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Takanori Kawaguchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yoshiyuki Endo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Guo-Jun Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Tohru Ohtake
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Izo Kimijima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

About this article

Cite this article

Tsuchiya, A., Kanno, M., Kawaguchi, T. et al. Prognostic relevance of tn expression in Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer 6, 175–180 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02967164

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02967164

Key words

Search

Navigation