Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Generation of Organ-conditioned Media and Applications for Studying Organ-specific Influences on Breast Cancer Metastatic Behavior
Published on: June 13, 2016
Localised breast cancers may have systemic influences on skin and hair
1Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. lawson@unsw.edu.au
Hypothesis:
Biomarkers, commonly expressed in breast cancer cells, may be correlated with their expression in breast skin of the same subjects.
Methods:
The expression of biomarkers in specimens from 33 breast tumours and breast skin from the same subject and from 32 normal controls was studied using immunohistochemical techniques.
Results:
(1) In normal women, there are significant correlations between the levels of expression of cyclin D1, bcl-2 and p53 in normal breast epithelial cells and breast skin epithelial cells. (2) These patterns of biomarker expression in normal women are similar in breast cancer and breast skin epithelial cells of women with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), but are at significantly higher levels in both breast cancer cells and skin from the same subjects. (3) In normal women, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) is not expressed in either breast epithelial cells or skin epithelial cells. (4) HER-2 is expressed in the breast skin of some subjects with HER-2-positive breast cancer. (5) Positive oestrogen receptor alpha expression occurs significantly more frequently in the breast skin of women with IDC and DCIS than in normal controls.
Conclusion:
The influence of localised breast cancer seems to be systemic, and leads to changes in skin and hair.
Related Concept Videos
Skin Cancer
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): BCC is the most common type of skin cancer, accounting for about 80% of cases. It typically develops in...
Skin Diseases and Disorders
Gram-positive Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. are responsible for many of the most common skin infections. However, many...
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Cancer Prevention
Some...
Cancer
Metastasis
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
