The prognostic-significance of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in breast-cancer - correlation with DNA ploidy, C-erbb-2 expression, histopathology, lymph-node metastases and patient survival.

We have investigated the relationship of PCNA expression with established clinicopathologic and biologic prognostic variables and determined its prognostic value in 91 patients with operable invasive breast cancer. The PCNA index varied within a range of 0-74% with the average in all specimens equal to 17%. When the tumors were separated on the basis of the mean value of the PCNA index, PCNA expression did not correlate with clinical stage, histologic type or grade, tumor size, axillary or internal mammary lymph node metastases, DNA ploidy, or c-erbB-2 expression. Moreover, PCNA expression did not appear to be a significant prognostic factor by univariate or multivariate analyses. Therefore, we conclude that PCNA expression does not correlate with established clinicopathologic and biologic prognostic factors and may not be useful in clinical practice to identify a poor prognostic group of patients with breast cancer.