Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2004;6(1):R18-23.
doi: 10.1186/bcr733. Epub 2003 Nov 7.

Expression of androgen receptor and prostate-specific antigen in male breast carcinoma

Noman Kidwai  1 , Yun Gong, Xiaoping Sun, Charuhas G Deshpande, Anjana V Yeldandi, M Sambasiva Rao, Sunil Badve
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Expression of androgen receptor and prostate-specific antigen in male breast carcinoma

Noman Kidwai et al. Breast Cancer Res. 2004.

Abstract

Background: The androgen-regulated proteins prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostate-specific acid phosphatase (PSAP) are present in high concentrations in normal prostate and prostatic cancer and are considered to be tissue-specific to prostate. These markers are commonly used to diagnose metastatic prostate carcinoma at various sites including the male breast. However, expression of these two proteins in tumors arising in tissues regulated by androgens such as male breast carcinoma has not been thoroughly evaluated.

Methods: In this study we analyzed the expression of PSA, PSAP and androgen receptor (AR) by immunohistochemistry in 26 cases of male breast carcinomas and correlated these with the expression of other prognostic markers.

Results: AR, PSA and PSAP expression was observed in 81%, 23% and 0% of carcinomas, respectively. Combined expression of AR and PSA was observed in only four tumors.

Conclusion: Although the biological significance of PSA expression in male breast carcinomas is not clear, caution should be exercised when it is used as a diagnostic marker of metastatic prostate carcinoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Nuclear expression of androgen receptor in a case of male breast carcinoma. High magnification.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Male breast carcinoma showing cytoplasmic expression of prostate-specific antigen. Medium magnification.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hecht J, Winchester D. Male breast cancer. Am J Clin Pathol. 1994;102:25–30. - PubMed
    1. Ribeiro G. Male breast cancer: review of 301 cases from Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute, Manchester. Br J Cancer. 1985;65:115–119. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Salvadori B, Saccozzi R, Manzari A, Andreola S, Conti RA, Cusumano F, Grassi M. Prognosis of breast cancer in males. An analysis of 170 cases. Eur J Cancer. 1994;30:930–935. - PubMed
    1. Pich A, Margaria E, Chiusa L, Candelaresi G, Dal Canton O. Androgen receptor expression in male breast carcinoma: lack of clinicopathological association. Br J Cancer. 1999;79:959–964. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Giordano SH, Buzdar AU, Hortobagyi GN. Breast cancer in men. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:678–687. - PubMed

Publication types