Usefulness of polyclonal antibodies raised against P65 oncofetal protein in immunohistochemical diagnosis of ductal breast cancer.

Paraffin-embedded infiltrating ductal breast cancer tissue slides (135) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry with the use of rabbit polyclonal anti-P65 oncofetal protein and mouse monoclonal anti-estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER, PR) antibodies. Analysis with anti-P65 antibody revealed the positive cytoplasmic reaction in 83 cases, 98 showed the nucleic reaction and 3 were immunologically negative. Among the analyzed cases 49 revealed both cytoplasmic and nucleic reactions. For the whole group of cancers the correlation was found between ER or PR level and P65 cytoplasmic reaction (r = 0.77 and 0.66, respectively) and low inverse correlation with nucleic localization of P65 protein. The percentage of positive cells with cytoplasmic expression of P65 was significantly higher in more histologically differentiated cancers (grade I and II according to Bloom and Richardson) than in grade III. Opposite tendency was observed for the nucleic expression of P65 protein. The percentage of immunopositive nuclei grew with the advance of the disease and was the highest in poorly-differentiated (grade III) tumors. The tumors with P65 cytoplasmic reaction were mainly small (T1, T2), without metastases to lymph nodes (N0) and distant metastases (M0). The dependence between P65 protein localization and clinical stage of disease (TNM classification) was evaluated statistically. The straight dependence existed between P65 nucleic reaction and tumor size (p = 0.0002), metastases to lymph nodes (p = 0.0032) and distant metastases (p = 0.0006). The obtained results suggest that the transfer of P65 protein from cytoplasm to nuclei of the breast cancer cells is connected with more clinically advanced stages and worse prognosis for the patients.

Clinical, electrophysiological and immunological remissions after thymectomy in myasthenia gravis.

OBJECTIVES: Approximately 50% of patients treated with thymectomy have a chance for symptom-free life. However, immunological and neurophysiological abnormalities may be detected in patients with clinical remission. Although improvement usually parallels decrease in acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChRAb) levels and jitter values, there is a question what factors influence immunological and electrophysiological remission in a population of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients. METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively clinical data of 32 MG patients operated for generalized MG, followed-up at our department for 17.2 (4-31) years. They were in clinical remission for 12.8 (2-25) years. All of them had single fiber electromyograhy (SFEMG) of extensor digitorum communis muscle (EDC) muscle and estimation of AChRAb level at the end of follow-up. Their age at onset of MG was 17 years (6-48) and at thymectomy 19 (6.4-58) years. Tensilon test was positive in 30, repetitive nerve stimulation in 29 cases. RESULTS: Clinical remission was reached on average 4.2 years after thymectomy. SFEMG jitter value normalized in 60% of cases. AChRAb were negative only in 34% of patients. Jitter values correlated with AChRAb levels (P=0.006, r=0.5) but were not related to clinical factors. Only time to thymectomy correlated with time from thymectomy to clinical remission (P=0.001, r=0.5). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical remission is not always accompanied by normalization of SFEMG and AChRAb. Although normalization of neuromuscular transmission in patients with remission of MG is individual, short duration of MG before thymectomy increases the chance of early remission.

Immunohistochemical analysis of expression of a 65 kDa oncofetal protein (p65), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), oncogene c-erb B2 and tumor suppressor gene p53 protein products in breast cancer patients.

Paraffin-embedded tissue slides from 88 infiltrating ductal breast carcinoma were examined by immunohistochemistry technique with the use of monoclonal antibody against human p65 antigen and polyclonal antibody against p65-like protein present in fetal bovine serum. Immunohistochemical analysis of expression of growth factor receptors (EGFR), protein product of oncogene c-erb B2 as well as protein product of mutated anti-oncogene p53 was also done. It was established that there is no correlation between p65 and c-erbB2, EGFR or p53 expression. In low differentiated tumors (grade III) high p53 index and high EGFR and c-erbB2 expression was connected with low p65 expression. The lack of c-erbB2 and EGFR and low p53 expression was combined usually with high p65 oncoprotein levels.