Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.23.5 (cathepsin D)
 4,130 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Breast cancer is a complex but increasingly well-understood disease. Clearly, multiple alterations from normal mammary cells are required to achieve a transformed phenotype. Furthermore, there may be several possible alterations within broad categories that will produce the transformations leading to the malignant state. The specific set of alterations within a given cancer may thus provide necessary information about how it is unique and how it may best be treated. Several of the newer biologic markers of breast cancer may provide very specific treatment information. erbB-2 may predict for improved response to doxorubicin, rather than CMF. hsp 27 may predict for failure of doxorubicin. pS2 or EGFR may provide supplemental information predicting response to hormonal therapy. Each of these variables has strong evidence to support its use in this manner, but that evidence has been obtained on limited numbers of patients treated in a limited number of ways. The most established markers, with multiple studies indicating their prognostic benefit, are erbB-2, cathepsin D, and proliferation markers. Of the several proliferation markers there may be no one choice that is best. However, very clearly, any marker must be carefully assessed for appropriate cut-off values, and cut-off values established by one cohort of patients should be verified against another cohort of patients. The oncoproteins associated with cell cycle regulation (cyclin D, p53, Rb, and c-myc) have shown strong promise of providing important prognostic information. The limited studies to date indicate that these markers are independent of one another. Cell cycle regulation may be an area in which any defect may serve to deregulate the cell, and therefore several defects in one cell would be unlikely. The specific nature of the defect in a given cancer may be very important. With the advent of immunohistochemical methods to measure most of the markers, more information may become available. Finally, the burgeoning area of tumor-stromal interactions is replete with potentially important markers of cancer prognosis. The growth factors, which are marginally a part of this area owing to the probable importance of paracrine effects on cancer cell growth, have progressively developed a body of literature supporting their prognostic potential. However, they have rarely been studied in conjunction with the other aspects of tumor-stromal cooperation. The markers of metastatic potential, nm23 and angiogenesis, have been shown in small cohorts to have considerable prognostic import.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Overview of the biologic markers of breast cancer. 815 Jul 84

To characterize the biological features of breast cancer associated with germ-line mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2, invasive tumors were studied from 58 Jewish women ascertained through studies of early-onset breast cancer. All women were tested for the BRCA1 founder mutations 187delAG (commonly known as 185delAG) and 5385insC (commonly known as 5382insC) and the BRCA2 founder mutation 6174delT. Mutations were detected in 17 of 58 (29.3%) women. Comparing BRCA-associated breast cancers (BABCs) to cases arising in women without founder mutations, no differences were noted in tumor size, tumor stage, or frequency of axillary nodal involvement. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma was the predominant histological type in both groups. BABCs were significantly more likely to be of histological grade III (100 versus 63%; P = 0.04), estrogen receptor negative (75 versus 35%; P = 0.004), and HER2/neu negative (87 versus 58%; P = 0.04). An associated intraductal component was present in 59% of BABCs and 76% of cancers not associated with mutations (P = not significant). A high Ki-67 labeling index was more commonly observed in BABCs than in cases without mutations (83 versus 48%; P = 0.09). There were no differences between the two groups in the frequency of expression of epidermal growth factor receptor, cathepsin D, bcl-2, p27, p53, or cyclin D. There were no significant differences in relapse-free or overall survival. These observations suggest that breast cancers arising in Jewish women with germ-line BRCA founder mutations have a greater proliferative potential than cancers in women without such mutations. Additional studies of BABC are required to determine the nature and implications of additional genetic abnormalities occurring in these tumors.
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PMID:BRCA-associated breast cancer: absence of a characteristic immunophenotype. 958 22

The immunohistochemical detection of six markers of breast cancer has been compared in the present study with known prognostic factors of the disease to establish locally a standard panel of markers for the management of breast cancer. Sections of tissue of 114 consecutive breast cancer cases were studied immunohistochemically, using antibodies against oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), androgen receptor, c-erbB2, cathepsin D, and cyclin D. Marker labelling was graded as recommended in the literature. Using the chi(2)-test, relationships were determined between marker labelling and histological type of cancer, tumour grade, tumour size, axillary lymph node status and age of patient. A p value below 0.05 was considered significant. A positive relationship was found between ER and PR and lower grades of cancer, and a negative relationship was found with medullary and atypical medullary carcinoma. The four other markers showed no relationship with grade or type of cancer. All markers showed no significant relationship with size of tumour, presence of axillary node metastasis or age of patient. There was positive correlation between c-erbB2 and cathepsin D. Our study confirms the association between ER and PR and histological type and grade of breast cancer, both known parameters of good prognosis. We found no consistent relationship between the other four markers and prognostic factors studied, other than the suggestion that c-erbB2 and cathepsin D may be useful markers for poor prognosis and can be usefully applied locally, especially in the light of the current availability of trastuzumab (Herceptin) for management of c-erbB2-positive cases. We found no relationship between the markers and tumour size, axillary lymph node status or age.
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PMID:Relationship between the expression of various markers and prognostic factors in breast cancer. 1595 51