Immunohistochemical evaluation of cyclin D1 in breast cancer.
AIM To explore the potential prognostic value of cyclin D1 in invasive breast cancer and its correlation with basic histopathological parameters, hormonal status (estrogen [ER] and progesterone receptor [PR]), and bcl-2. METHODS Medical records of 48 patients, diagnosed in 1998, from the Central Database of the Institute of Oncology, Clinical Center University of Sarajevo, were analyzed. The mean follow-up was 61 months (range: 4-103 months). Routine histopathological evaluation was performed for 48 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples. For immunohistochemical staining, we used monoclonal antibodies for ER, PR, bcl-2, and cyclin D1. RESULTS Cyclin D1 expression inversely correlated with tumor grade (P=0.010) and tumor size (P=0.023), whereas significant positive association was found with ER (P=0.001) and bcl-2 (P=0.001) expression. Patients with higher cyclin D1 expression had longer both overall survival (P=0.014) and relapse-free survival (P=0.037). Cox regression analysis for overall survival (OS) showed that lymph node status, ER expression, therapy, and cyclin D1 expression were independent prognostic factors. (P range from 0.003 to 0.04). CONCLUSION Expression of cyclin D1 is associated with better disease outcome in breast cancer.