Abstract
BackgroundThe 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.MethodsIn 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.ResultsAR, 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.ConclusionAlthough 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.
Highlights
Male breast carcinoma (MBC) is rare and represents less than 1% of all mammary carcinomas [1]
MBCs are treated, like female breast carcinomas (FBCs), with radical mastectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation
Cho and Epstein [17] reported coexpression of prostate-specific acid phosphatase (PSAP) and prostatespecific antigen (PSA) in 23 of 25 cases of metastatic prostatic carcinoma involving supra-diaphragmatic lymph nodes. These findings suggest that PSAP might be a better marker for excluding metastases from a prostatic primary at this site
Summary
Male breast carcinoma (MBC) is rare and represents less than 1% of all mammary carcinomas [1]. Less frequent, it tends to be more aggressive than its female counterpart [2,3]. The androgen-regulated proteins prostatespecific 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. Expression of these two proteins in tumors arising in tissues regulated by androgens such as male breast carcinoma has not been thoroughly evaluated
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