초록 열기/닫기 버튼
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.
