Is Breast Tissue from Women Who Carry Germ-Line BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutations "Normal"? An Immuno-Histopathological Study
Abstract
Background and Hypothesis: BRCA1/2 mutations confer a substantially elevated risk of breast cancer. It is not known whether breast tissue from BRCAl/2 mutation carriers is normal of not. We hypothesize that breast tissue in BRCAl or BRCA2 mutation carriers exhibits particular morphological and biological features resulting from BRCAl or BRCA2 haplo-insufficiency or from other additional non-characterized genetic changes, when compared to age-matched non-carriers. Methods: Forty BRCAl or BRCA2-related breast cancers and 80 age-matched breast cancers in BRCAl/2 non-carriers diagnosed in Ashkenazi Jewish women will be analyzed. So far we have examined 510 pathology blocks from 43 women with breast cancer. In order to maintain blinded status, the pathologist does not know how many of these women have BRCA1 mutations or BRCA2 mutations. Slides have been cut, mounted, stained and independently reviewed by two pathologists. We plan to evaluate the following biological characteristics: hormonal pathways (estrogen and progesterone receptors, p52), cell cycle regulation (p27, p53, cyclin Dl, cyclin E), proliferation (MIB-l, PCNA), proto-oncogene expression (ERBB2), apoptosis (Bcl-2, caspase3), and androgen receptor.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA409774
Entities
People
- G. Tremblay
- J. Deschenes
- L. Alpert
- William David Foulkes
Organizations
- Jewish General Hospital