Inhibitor of differentiation is overexpressed with progression of benign to malignant lesions and related with carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 distribution in mammary glands.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the expression and association of inhibitor of differentiation (Id-1) and carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) in benign, premalignant, and malignant lesions of human mammary glands. The study included 97 cases of benign, premalignant, and malignant lesions of human mammary glands including normal terminal duct lobular units, usual ductal hyperplasia, atypical ductal hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ, and invasive ductal carcinoma that were surgically excised at the Second Hospital of Shangdong University. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the expression of Id-1 and CEACAM1. The Id-1 expression was increased with the progression of benign to malignant transformation (P < .05) and positively related with CEACAM1 different expression patterns (r = 0.279, P < .01) in benign, premalignant, and malignant lesions: apical membranous staining in benign, and cytoplasmic and uniform membranous staining in premalignant and malignant lesions. A positive correlation was found between Id-1 expression and morphologic classification of benign to premalignant and malignant lesions (r = 0.641, P < .0001). The CEACAM1 expression patterns showed a significance between benign, premalignant, and malignant lesions (P < .05). The Id-1 expression is increased with the progression of benign to malignant transformation and promotes the CEACAM1 expression; the CEACAM1 expression patterns are changed by movement from apical membrane to bilateral membrane and cytoplasm. That the Id-1 overexpression promotes the transformation of CEACAM1 expression patterns may occur at the early stage in the breast carcinogenesis; and the Id-1 should be regarded as the transforming factor, which may regulate the transformation of CEACAM1 expression patterns.