Correlation between pS2 protein positivity, steroid receptor status and other prognostic factors in breast cancer

The cytosolic levels of pS2, an estrogen-regulated protein, were measured in 100 cases of primary breast cancer and related to several conventional histological and biochemical prognostic factors. The data were statistically analyzed on the basis of two different cutoff point for pS2: 4 and 11 ng/mg of cytosolic proteins. pS2 positivity (cutoff 11 ng/mg) was shown to be associated with small tumor size (p = 0.05), a higher differentiation grade (p = 0.007) and a smaller number of mitoses (p = 0.004), but not with menopausal status, lymph node involvement, cathepsin D levels, or proliferative activity determined by the monoclonal antibody Ki67. With the cutoff of 4 ng/mg, the statistical significance was confirmed only for the number of mitoses (p = 0.03), which was also the most closely related covariate in multivariate analysis (p = 0.008). As regards steroid receptor status, a significant difference was observed between pS2+ and pS2- cases (Chi-square = 8.9; p = 0.04, cutoff 4 ng/mg). in conclusion, pS2 positivity, being preferentially expressed in hormone-dependent cells and related to other well-known positive markers, may either indicate a good prognosis or predict responsiveness to endocrine treatment.