Torrisi R, Zanardi S, Pensa F, Valenti G, De Franchis V, Nicolo G, Barreca A, Minuto F, Boccardo F
Department of Medical Oncology II, National Institute for Cancer Research, Genova, Italia.
Breast Cancer Res Treat. 1995 Mar;33(3):219-24. doi: 10.1007/BF00665946.
The intracystic electrolyte content is generally used to identify different breast cyst subpopulations: cysts containing high K+ levels have been associated with an increased risk of subsequent breast cancer. In order to define whether other biochemical features of breast cyst fluid (BCF) might further explain such an increased risk, we determined the content of epidermal growth factor (EGF), a known mitogenic factor for normal and transformed breast epithelium, in cysts of women with breast cancer or proliferative lesions of the breast (atypical ductal or lobular hyperplasia and proliferative disease without atypia). Median intracystic EGF levels were significantly higher in patients with breast cancer or atypical hyperplasia than in cysts of women without any clinical or instrumental evidence of proliferative disease chosen as controls (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). In patients affected by proliferative disease without atypia, intracystic EGF levels were not different either from controls or from the other study groups. No significant difference among groups was observed in the prevalence of Na+/K+ < 3 cysts, this being the most frequently observed type of cysts in all groups except in that with proliferative disease without atypia. No significant difference in EGF levels between cysts ipsilateral or contralateral to the biopsy was observed within each histological group. Our results indicate that EGF levels are higher in cysts aspirated from breasts with an associated proliferative pathology, either benign or neoplastic. The determination of intracystic EGF, combined with that of electrolyte content, might help to identify a subset of patients with gross cystic disease of the breast at potentially higher risk of developing breast cancer.
钾离子水平高的囊肿与后续患乳腺癌风险增加有关。为了确定乳腺囊肿液（BCF）的其他生化特征是否可能进一步解释这种风险增加，我们测定了表皮生长因子（EGF）的含量，EGF是一种已知的对正常和转化的乳腺上皮有促有丝分裂作用的因子，在患有乳腺癌或乳腺增生性病变（非典型导管或小叶增生以及无非典型增生的增生性疾病）的女性的囊肿中进行测定。乳腺癌或非典型增生患者的囊内EGF水平中位数显著高于作为对照的无任何临床或仪器检查证据显示有增生性疾病的女性囊肿（分别为p < 0.05和p < 0.01）。在患有无非典型增生的增生性疾病的患者中，囊内EGF水平与对照组或其他研究组相比无差异。在Na+/K+ < 3的囊肿患病率方面，各研究组之间未观察到显著差异，除了无非典型增生的增生性疾病组外，这种类型的囊肿在所有组中最为常见。在每个组织学组内，活检同侧或对侧囊肿的EGF水平未观察到显著差异。我们的结果表明，在伴有良性或肿瘤性增生性病变的乳房吸出的囊肿中，EGF水平较高。测定囊内EGF并结合电解质含量，可能有助于识别乳腺大囊肿病患者中患乳腺癌潜在风险较高的一个亚组。
