[The prognostic value of cathepsin D concentration in cytosol of primary breast carcinoma].

The concentration of total cathepsin D in tumor cytosol was measured in 300 patients with primary breast cancer treated at the Women's University Hospital in Würzburg between 10/86 and 9/92. Patients were followed for a median of 28 months. The level of cathepsin D was correlated with estrogen receptor status and tumor size but seemed to be independent of progesterone receptor status, histological grading, patient's age, axillary lymph node involvement and primary distant metastases. Overall survival, disease-free survival and metastases-free survival did not differ between patients with cathepsin D-levels above the median value of 47 pmol/mg of protein and patients with cathepsin D-concentration below 47 pmol/mg. Patients with node-negative disease and low cathepsin D-levels (< or = 47 pmol/mg) had a longer disease-free survival than those with cathepsin D-concentration > 47 pmol/mg (p < 0.05). Our findings could not confirm cathepsin D as a useful additional prognostic marker in all breast cancer patients. In the low-risk collective the measurement of total cathepsin D may be significant by isolating subgroups with a poorer prognosis who might benefit from adjuvant therapy.