ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The question of whether or not non-sporadic breast malignancies have different immunohistochemical features than sporadic malignancies has not been investigated previously. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to compare the expression of E-cadherin (EC) in breast cancer patients with positive and negative oncologic histories. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 98 breast cancer patients divided into two groups: 1) without the personal or familial history of previous malignancies, and 2) with the personal history of previous malignancies and/or with the data on cancer episodes in first- and/or second-degree relatives. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the expression of EC between breast malignancies of the two groups. Moreover, statistical relationships were not observed between the positive or negative oncologic history, the age, and the menopausal status of patients, or histological tumor grade. CONCLUSIONS: Although the results of our series revealed no significant differences in the expression of EC between assumed sporadic and assumed non-sporadic malignancies, there is a need for further comparative studies on the immunohistochemistry of both the breast carcinoma types in order to find the other biological markers that could suggest or exclude cancer susceptibility in a given patient. Nevertheless, the results of our study suggest that EC immunohistochemistry cannot be used as a surrogate marker for screening for hereditary breast cancer.