Abstract
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), determined by the Scatchard curve method, was found in 22 cases of a random series of 100 patients with breast carcinoma. Two groups of patients were identified, one (n = 16) with a low concentration (0–50 fm/mg protein) of EGFR but with a high affinity (Kd = 3.2 nM), and the other (n = 6) with a high concentration (90–210 fm/mg protein) of EGFR but with a lower affinity (Kd = 6.3 nM).
A significant inverse relationship was found between the presence of EGFR and receptors for estrogen (p<0.001) and progesterone (p = 0.001). EGFR was found in no (0/8) tumors with Grade I histoprognostic grade, 17% (10/58) Grade II, and 38% (11/29) Grade III (p<0.05). EGFR is present therefore in poorly differentiated tumors and associated with other factors of poor prognosis. Ourin vivo analyses confirm results found in tissue culture derived from human breast carcinoma cells.
References
Cohen S: Isolation of a mouse submaxillary gland protein accelerating incisor eruption and eyelid opening in the newborn animal. J Biol Chem 237: 1555–1562, 1962
Carpenter G, Cohen S: Epidermal growth factor. Annual Rev Biochem 48: 198–216, 1979
Hollenberg MD: Epidermal growth factor-urogastrone, a polypeptide acquiring hormonal status. Vitam Horm 37: 69–110, 1979
Fitzpatrick SL, Lachance MP, Schultz GS: Characterization of epidermal growth factor receptor and action on human breast cancer cells in culture. Cancer Res 44: 3442–3447, 1984
Roos W, Fabbro D, Kung W, Costa SD, Eppenberger U: Correlation between hormone dependency and the regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor by tumor promoters in human mammary carcinoma cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 83: 991–995, 1986
Fabbro D, Kung W, Roos W, Regazzi R, Eppenberger U: Epidermal growth factor binding and protein kinase C. Activities in human breast cancer cell lines: possible quantitative relationship. Cancer Res 46: 2720–2725, 1986
Sainsbury JRC, Farndon JR, Harris AL, Sherbet GV: Epidermal growth factor receptors on human breast cancers. Br J Surg 72: 186–188, 1985
Fitzpatrick SL, Brightwell J, Wittliff JL, Barrows GH, Schultz GS: Epidermal growth factor binding by breast tumor. Biopsies and relationship to estrogen receptor and progestin receptor levels. Cancer Res 44: 3448–3453, 1984
Sainsbury JRC, Farndon JR, Sherbet GV, Harris AL: Epidermal growth factor receptors and oestrogen receptors in human breast cancer. Lancet 1: 364–366, 1985
Peyrat JP, Bonneterre J, Vandewalle B, Djiane J, Lefebvre J: Récepteurs de l'EGF dans les cancers du sein humain. Relations avec les récepteurs hormonaux. Ann Endocrinol 45: 412–413, 1984
Perez R, Pascual M, Macias A, Loge A: Epidermal growth factor receptors in human breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 4: 189–193, 1984
Downward J, Yarden Y, Mayes E, Scrace G, Totty N, Stockwell P, Ullrich A, Schlessinger J, Waterfield MD: Close similarity of epidermal growth factor receptor and v-erb-B oncogene protein sequences. Nature 307: 521–527, 1984
Martin PM, Bressot N, Delarue JC, Magdelenat H, Pichon MF, Saez S, Spyratos F: Dosage des récepteurs hormonaux stéroïdiens intra-tissulaires en pathologie mammaire humaine. In Gest J (ed) ‘Evaluation des moyens de diagnostic du cancer du sein’. JMT Conseil, Versailles, pp 263–280, 1981
Scatchard G: The attraction of proteins for small molecules and ions. Ann NY Acad Sci 51: 660–672, 1949
Fraker PJ, Speck JC: Protein and cell membrane iodination with a sparingly soluble chloramide 1,3,4,6-tetrachloro 3a,6a diphenylglycoluryl. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 80: 849–857, 1978
Bradford MA: Rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein using the principle of protein dye-binding. Anal Biochem 72: 248–255, 1976
Bloom HJG, Richardson WW: Histological grading and prognosis in breast cancer. A study of 1409 cases of which 359 have been followed 15 years. Br J Cancer 11: 359–377, 1957
Downward J, Parker P, Waterfield MD: Autophosphorylation sites on the epidermal growth factor receptor. Nature 311: 483–485, 1984
Ullrich A, Coussens L, Hayflick JS, Dull TJ, Gray A, Tam AW, Lee J, Yarden Y, Libermann TN, Schlessinger J, Downward J, Mayes ELV, Whittle N, Waterfield MD, Seeburg PH: Human epidermal growth factor receptor: cDNA sequence and aberrant expression of the amplified gene in A431 epidermoid carcinoma cells. Nature 309: 418–425, 1984
Todaro GJ, De Larco JE, Nissley SP, Rechler NM: MSA and EGF receptors on sarcoma virus transformed cells and human fibrosarcoma cells in culture. Nature 267: 526–528, 1977
Imai Y, Leung CKH, Friesen HG, Shiu RPC: Epidermal growth factor receptors and effect of epidermal growth factor on growth of human breast cancer cells in long term tissue culture. Cancer Res 42: 4394–4398, 1982
Osborne CK, Hamilton B, Nover M: Receptor binding and processing of epidermal growth factor by human breast cancer cells. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 55: 86–93, 1982
Osborne CK, Hamilton B, Titus G, Livingston RB: Epidermal growth factor stimulation of human breast cancer cells in culture. Cancer Res 40: 2362–2366, 1980
Weisman AS, Raguet SS, Kelly PA: Characterization of the epidermal growth factor receptor in human meningioma. Cancer Res 47: 2171–2176, 1987
O'Keefe E, Hollenberg MD, Cuatrecasas P: Epidermal growth factor. Characteristics of specific binding in membranes from liver, placenta and other target tissues. Arch Biochem Biophys 164: 518–526, 1974
Hunter T, Cooper JA: Epidermal growth factor induces rapid tyrosine phosphorylations of proteins in A 431 human tumor cells. Cell 24: 741–752, 1981
Gates RE, King LE: The EGF receptor-kinase has multiple phosphorylation sites. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 105: 57–66, 1982
Bishop SM: Cellular oncogenes and retroviruses. Ann Rev Biochem 53: 301–354, 1983
Grimaux M, Remvikos Y, Maddelenat H: Récepteurs d'EGF et récepteurs hormonaux dans les tumeurs mammaires. 7ème Forum de Cancérologie, Paris, 1987
Harris AL, Sainsbury JRC, Smith K, Neal DE, Hall RR, Farndon JR: Epidermal growth factor receptors in primary human breast and bladder cancer: relation to tumour differentiation, invasion and patient survival. In: Klijn JGM, Paridaens R, Foekens JA (eds) ‘Hormonal manipulation of cancer: Peptides, growth factors and new (anti) steroidal agents’. Raven Press, New York 1987, pp 415–424
Salomon DS, Zwiebel JA, Bano M, Losonezy I, Fechnel P, Kidwell WR: Presence of transforming growth factors in human breast cancer cells. Cancer Res 44: 4069–4077, 1984
Sainsbury JCR, Farndon JR, Needham GK, Malcolm AJ, Harris AL: Epidermal growth factor receptor status as predictor of early recurrence of and death from breast cancer. Lancet i: 1398–1402, 1987
Mantel N: Chi-square tests with one degree of freedom: extension of the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. J Amer Stat Assoc 58: 690–700, 1963
Horwitz KB, McGuire WL, Pearson OH, Segaloff A: Predicting response to endocrine therapy in human breast cancer: a hypothesis. Science 29: 726–727, 1975
Pichon MF, Pallud C, Brunet M, Milgrom E: Relationship of presence of progesterone receptors to prognosis in early breast cancer. Cancer Res 40: 3357–3360, 1980
Contesso G, Delarue JC, Mouriesse H, May-Levin F, Garnier H: Anatomopathologie du cancer du sein et récepteurs hormonaux. Path Biol 31: 747–754, 1983
Contesso G, Mouriesse H, Friedman S, Genin J, Sarrazin D, Rouesse J: The importance of histologic grade in long term prognosis of breast cancer. A study of 1010 patients uniformly treated at the Institut Gustave-Roussy. J Clin Oncol 5: 1378–1386, 1987
Sainsbury JRC, Malcolm AJ, Appleton DR, Fardon JR, Harris AL: Presence of epidermal growth factor receptor as an indicator of poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer. J Clin Path 38: 1225–1228, 1985
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
With the technical assistance of J. Barraque.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Delarue, J.C., Friedman, S., Mouriesse, H. et al. Epidermal growth factor receptor in human breast cancers: Correlation with estrogen and progesterone receptors. Breast Cancer Res Tr 11, 173–178 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01805841
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01805841