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Estrogen receptor alpha expression in normal human breast epithelium is consistent over time
Seema A Khan1, Kimberly A Yee, Cassandra Kaplan
1Department of Surgery, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA. skhan@nmff.org
International Journal of Cancer
|October 29, 2002
Summary
Estrogen receptor alpha (ER) expression in normal breast tissue is stable over time, suggesting that high ER levels in benign breast epithelium may be a constant risk factor for breast cancer development.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Endocrinology
- Pathology
Background:
- Increased estrogen receptor alpha (ER) expression in benign breast epithelium is linked to higher breast cancer susceptibility.
- The temporal stability of ER expression in normal breast tissue is not well-documented.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the temporal consistency of ER expression in normal breast epithelium.
- To determine if ER overexpression in benign breast tissue is a stable characteristic.
Main Methods:
- Examined ER expression in normal breast tissue from 28 women undergoing two surgical procedures at least 6 months apart.
- Used immunohistochemistry with the 6F11 antibody to calculate the ER labeling index (ER LI) in epithelial cells.
- Analyzed temporal concordance of high and low ER LI categories and investigated the influence of menstrual cycle phase.
Main Results:
- The median ER LI showed a slight increase from 13.6 to 15.5 between samples (p=0.001).
- 85.7% of women exhibited consistent high or low ER LI categories between the two time points (p=0.002).
- Menstrual cycle day significantly influenced ER LI in premenopausal women, with adjustments improving correlation.
Conclusions:
- Estrogen receptor alpha expression in normal breast tissue demonstrates considerable consistency over time.
- Stable ER overexpression in normal breast epithelium supports its role as a constant feature in women at high risk for breast cancer.