Korean J Pathol.  2010 Aug;44(4):390-396.

Clinicopathological Significance of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma with High Prevalence of CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) Tumor Cells in Breast Cancer

• Sung JY
• Kim GY
• Park YK
• Lee J
• Kim YW
• Lim SJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Epithelial tumor cells with a CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) immunoprofile may have the ability to cause breast cancer. We studied these cells and their clinicopathological significance.
METHODS
The clinicopathologic findings of 100 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) cases and 45 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) cases were reviewed. CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) tumor cells were identified by immunohistochemistry, and their clinicopathological implications in IDC and DCIS were analyzed.
RESULTS
IDC with a high prevalence of CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) tumor cells was significantly associated with larger mass, higher grade, estrogen receptor (ER) negativity, and tumor cells with a higher frequency of metastasis. The proportion of CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) tumor cells in IDC, and its DCIS components was not significantly different, whereas the proportion of CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) tumor cells was higher in DCIS than in the DCIS component of IDC (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
IDC with a high prevalence of CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) tumor cells might correlate with aggressive features, such as ER and higher grades. Moreover, the proportion of CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) tumor cells in the DCIS components of IDC and DCIS might harbor different biology, which may lead to differences in cancer progression and early carcinogenesis.

Keyword

Neoplastic stem cells; CD44 protein, human; CD24 protein, human; Invasive ductal carcinoma; Carcinoma, intraductal, noninfiltrating

MeSH Terms

Antigens, CD24
Antigens, CD44
Biology
Breast
Breast Neoplasms
Carcinoma, Ductal
Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating
Estrogens
Immunohistochemistry
Neoplasm Metastasis
Neoplastic Stem Cells
Prevalence
Antigens, CD24
Antigens, CD44
Estrogens