Endocrine Abstracts

Insuline like growth factor II (IGF II) is an important regulator of neoplastic growth and it is stromal in origin. Estrogen and Progesterone receptor (ER, PR) are considered a good prognostic predictors in BC. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of IGF II mRNA expression in the clinical outcome in breast malignancy. The study group included 75 women (mean age ±S.D.=53.3±15.6 yr) submitted to radical mastectomy for ductal infiltrating breast carcinoma. The BC specimens were assessed for IGF II mRNA using in situ hybribization method and ER and PR by immunohistochemistry. Five years clinical follow-up was available in 65/79 BC (82.3%) and 46/65 (70.8%) were still alive and relapse free. ER+ was found in 39/65 (60%), PR + in 30/65 (46.2%) and stromal IGF II mRNA expression (IGF II +) in 33/65 (50.8%). 22/65 (33.8%) BC were IGF II+ ER+ and 19/65 (29.2%) IGF II+ PR+. No relationship was found between ER, PR, IGF II separately examined and clinical outcome. The better 5 yr survival was found in ER+ IGF II+(16/22: 72.7%) and IGF II+ PR+ BC (14/19: 73.7%) and in contrast, the worse survival was found in IGF II+ ER− (6/11: 54.5%) and IGF II+ PR− (57.1%) groups, (P=0.006, P=0.02, respectively). These data indicate that stromal IGF II may be considered a new important predictive factor in BC.

In particular IGF II have a good prognostic value in ER +/PR + and in contrast the poor predictive significance in ER−/PR – BC. These findings indicate that IGF II may have an important role in the differentiation or proliferation of BC cells.