The prognostic significance of the monoclonal antibody III D 5 to human milk fat globule antigen in breast cancer.

Abstract

The monoclonal antibody III D 5 identifies an antigen in human milk fat globule membrane, found also on breast epithelial cells. Immunohistochemistry with the antibody was used in the staining of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of 80 breast carcinomas. The duration of follow-up of patients was from seven to twelve years. The presence or absence of metastases in regional lymph nodes at the time of primary operation, histological grade and necrosis of tumours correlated highly significantly to the survival of patients. The patients whose tumours exhibited positive staining with the antibody III D 5 had an improved survival-rate compared with those with III D 5 negative tumours. In the patients without metastases at the time of primary operation, the histological grade of primary tumour had only a weak correlation with survival, while the same patients with III D 5 positive tumours had significantly better prognosis compared to the III D 5 negative cases. Inclusion of the III D 5 immunoreactivity with other factors in a prognostic index could permit a more accurate estimation of prognosis in patients with mammary carcinoma.