Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026
07:45
Orthotopic Transplantation of Breast Tumors as Preclinical Models for Breast Cancer
Published on: May 18, 2020
Multicentric breast cancer: clonality and prognostic studies
1The Institute of Cancer Research, Cotswold Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5NG, UK. Rosalind.Eeles@icr.ac.uk
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
|November 17, 2010
Summary
Multicentric breast cancer can be polyclonal, meaning different tumor foci originate independently. TP53 over-expression in these cancers indicates a poorer prognosis, impacting patient survival outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Assessing the clonality of multicentric breast cancer has been historically challenging.
- TP53 status (expression and mutation) offers a potential method for evaluating clonality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the clonality of multicentric breast cancer foci using TP53 analysis.
- To investigate the prognostic significance of TP53 status in multicentric breast cancer.
Main Methods:
- TP53 immunohistochemistry and molecular analysis (SSCP) were used to assess clonality in 88 multicentric breast cancer foci from 40 patients.
- Prognostic factors were compared between multicentric cases and 80 age- and stage-matched unicentric breast cancer controls.
Main Results:
- At least 25% of multicentric breast cancer foci showed polyclonal origin based on TP53 immunohistochemistry.
- TP53 over-expression in at least two foci correlated with worse overall survival compared to controls (P=0.04).
Conclusions:
- A significant proportion of multicentric breast cancer foci are polyclonal regarding TP53 status.
- TP53 over-expression is a predictor of poorer prognosis in multicentric breast cancer, suggesting its utility in risk stratification.
