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Prostate specific antigen in breast cancer, benign breast disease and normal breast tissue

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Abstract

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a tumor marker used widely for the diagnosis and monitoring of prostatic adenocarcinoma. Recently, we provided evidence that PSA may also be produced by breast tumors. In this report we examined quantitatively the PSA levels in 199 breast tumors, 48 tissues with benign breast disease (BBD, 34 fibroadenomas), and 36 normal breast tissues. Significant amounts of PSA (≥ 0.030 ng of PSA per mg of total protein) were found in 28% of breast tumors, 65% of BBD tissues, and 33% of normal breast tissues. PSA positivity in breast tumors was highest in stage I disease (34%) and decreased with disease stage (24% in stage II and 18% in stage III–IV). Using polymerase chain reaction amplification we have shown PSA mRNA presence in patients with PSA protein-positive tissues (benign and malignant) but not in patients with PSA protein-negative tissues. Our data suggest that PSA is expressed frequently by normal breast tissue, by tissue of benign breast diseases, and by breast cancer tissue. Highest expression is seen in benign breast disease and lowest expression in advanced stage cancerous tissue. As PSA production is mediated by steroid hormones and their receptors, we propose that PSA may be a new marker of steroid hormone action in the normal or diseased female breast. The role of this enzyme in the development of breast diseases including breast cancer is currently unknown.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, M5G 1X5, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    He Yu, Eleftherios P. Diamandis & Michael Levesque

  2. Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 100 College Street, M5G 1L5, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    He Yu, Eleftherios P. Diamandis & Michael Levesque

  3. Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Institute of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

    Maurizia Giai, Riccardo Roagna, Riccardo Ponzone & Piero Sismondi

  4. Department of Microbiology — Immunology, Jefferson Cancer Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, 19107, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Maria Monne & Carlo M. Croce

Authors
  1. He Yu
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  2. Eleftherios P. Diamandis
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  3. Michael Levesque
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  4. Maurizia Giai
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  8. Maria Monne
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  9. Carlo M. Croce
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Yu, H., Diamandis, E.P., Levesque, M. et al. Prostate specific antigen in breast cancer, benign breast disease and normal breast tissue. Breast Cancer Res Tr 40, 171–178 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01806212

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