Correlation Between Mammographic Breast Density and Expression of 17ß Hydroxysteroid Desydrogenase Type 1

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: High Mammographic density is a breast cancer risk factor and it is present over one third of cases of breast cancer. The 17s-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17s-HSD) enzyme has possible local effects on breast tissue by stimulating growth of breast epithelial cells and is associated with mammographic density in women in pre and perimenopause. After a review in the literature, we see the importance of the enzyme 17sHSD1 in the etiology of breast cancer by both local and peripheral steroidogenesis, which may increase breast density. OBJECTIVE: For this reason we studied the correlation between mammographic breast density and immunohistochemical expression of 17s hydroxysteroid desydrogenase type 1 (17sHSD1). Casuistic and METHODS: 48 cases were evaluated with mammographic image classified by BI-RADS® system in four categories. The pattern of density 1 and 2 (measure breast tissue until 50%) was classified like low density and the pattern 3 and 4 (measure breast tissue upper 50%) like high density. Expression of the enzymes were evaluated by tissue microarray (TMA) screened with anti-17sHSD1 monoclonal rabbit antibodies (LS-C49955, Lifespan) diluted 1/200. Specimens were assigned scores on a scale from zero to three according to intensity of staining and number of stained cells. Scores zero and one were considered negative results and scores two and three indicated positive enzyme expression. RESULTS: In relation to breast density, in absolute numbers and percentages, we found the following results in category 1, 17 patients (35.42%), category 2, 17 patients (35.42%), category 3, 6 patients (12 50%) and category 4, 8 patients (16.67%). The 17sHSD1 expression was positive in 18 (37.5%). Statistical analysis showed no significant correlation between the expression of 17sHSD1 (p = 0.00048) with breast density (p = 0.666). No significant correlation between the expression of 17sHSD1 with breast density was found to be unchanged even when the analysis of the proposed subgroups (BMI greater than or less than 25, aged 50 years or less and high and low mammographic density). CONCLUSION: The results of our studies showed that there was no positive association between mammographic breast density and the expression of the enzyme 17sHSD1.