New Approaches for Early Detection of Breast Tumor Invasion or Progression
Abstract
The epithelium of normal and non-invasive human breast tumor tissues is physically separated from the stroma by the basement membrane and a layer of myoepithelial (ME) cells, whose degradation is a pre-requisite for tumor invasion. Our previous studies revealed that a subset of estrogen receptor (ER) positive in situ breast tumors contained focally disrupted ME cell layers, which were overlaid exclusively or preferentially by ER negative cell clusters. Our current studies further show that, compared to adjacent ER positive cells within the same duct, these cell clusters have several unique features: 1 a significantly higher proliferation rate; 2 a substantially different frequency and pattern of genetic alterations; 3 a significantly higher expression level and frequency of tumor progression and invasion related genes. Together, our findings suggest that these cell clusters may represent the direct precursor of invasive lesions, and the development of specific antibodies or chemical agents to target these cells might provide a more sensitive and less toxic approach to treat and prevent breast tumor invasion.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA435499
Entities
People
- Yan-gao Man