Table II.

Association of cathepsins B, D, C, K, L and V as well as RECK and VEGF expression with clinicopathological parameters from breast cancer patients.

	Cathepsin B		Cathepsin D		Cathepsin G		Cathepsin K		Cathepsin L		Cathepsin V		RECK		VEGF
Characteristic	Low	High	Low	High	Low	High	Low	High	Low	High	Low	High	Low	High	Low	High
Age
<50	41	37	66	21	68	26	59	19	60	31	63	31	62	35	33	59
>50	36	28	56	12	55	21	44	21	55	20	55	15	46	31	29	44
P-value		0.661		0.327		0.997		0.292		0.304		0.103		0.573		0.611
Tumor size
<2.0 cm	21	14	26	5	25	12	26	7	33	6	24	12	12	26	19	18
2.0–5.0 cm	42	40	76	22	79	27	56	27	66	36	75	24	38	60	71	38
>5.0 cm	14	11	20	6	19	8	21	6	17	9	19	10	12	17	18	11
P-value		0.670		0.733		0.695		0.359		0.075		0.406		0.663		0.298
Histological grade
Grade 1	18	19	31	10	32	12	26	7	32	13	28	15	33	12	18	27
Grade 2	46	38	71	18	69	29	58	30	66	30	68	25	55	46	33	61
Grade 3	13	8	20	5	22	6	19	3	17	8	22	6	20	8	11	15
P-value		0.615		0.852		0.694		0.099		0.950		0.435		0.051		0.739
Tumor stage
0/I	11	6	14	1	15	4	14	3	18	0	12	6	7	12	9	9
IIA/IIB	42	41	72	23	77	29	59	23	61	39	69	30	35	64	69	37
III/IV	23	16	33	8	29	13	28	13	32	12	34	10	20	25	27	19
P-value		0.464		0.289		0.723		0.553		0.004		0.582		0.578		0.420
ER
−	29	14	43	9	44	13	39	8	35	15	42	10	40	17	24	28
+	47	51	78	24	78	34	63	32	79	36	75	36	68	48	37	75
P-value		0.033		0.374		0.300		0.038		0.868		0.081		0.140		0.106
PR
−	22	17	46	8	45	15	44	9	36	17	43	13	41	18	23	31
+	54	48	75	25	77	32	58	31	78	34	74	33	67	47	38	72
P-value		0.712		0.142		0.545		0.022		0.824		0.304		0.168		0.316
ErbB2
−	15	21	35	11	37	14	31	13	37	21	34	14	37	12	21	27
+	61	43	86	21	84	33	72	27	76	39	82	32	70	53	40	75
P-value		0.078		0.550		0.920		0.835		0.233		0.888		0.023		0.281
Lymph node
Negative	35	25	49	13	58	15	44	14	50	19	46	24	39	35	24	45
Positive	39	39	70	20	63	31	55	26	62	31	70	21	67	29	36	56
P-value		0.330		0.854		0.074		0.307		0.430		0.116		0.023		0.572
Menopausal status
Pre-menopausal	43	40	67	23	74	27	61	21	63	34	66	33	66	36	33	63
Post-menopausal	33	25	55	10	49	20	42	19	52	17	52	13	41	30	29	39
P-value		0.551		0.127		0.747		0.466		0.152		0.063		0.354		0.282
Distant metastasis
−	56	39	71	23	79	28	58	25	73	33	69	35	39	68	69	42
+	21	26	51	10	44	19	45	15	42	18	49	11	23	35	39	24
P-value		0.108		0.230		0.574		0.501		0.829		0.035		0.685		0.973
Bone metastasis
−	62	50	94	27	96	37	75	32	87	44	89	39	50	82	88	50
+	15	15	28	6	27	10	28	8	28	7	29	7	12	21	20	16
P-value		0.601		0.557		0.924		0.374		0.122		0.193		0.872		0.366
Lung metastasis
−	69	52	99	28	103	39	82	34	97	42	95	41	51	89	91	54
+	8	13	23	5	20	8	21	6	18	9	23	5	11	14	17	12
P-value		0.108		0.624		0.905		0.460		0.748		0.817		0.472		0.675
Hepatic metastasis
−	71	55	106	31	109	42	88	36	104	45	103	43	57	91	100	56
+	6	10	16	2	14	5	15	4	11	6	15	3	5	12	8	10
P-value		0.154		0.262		0.891		0.471		0.666		0.255		0.463		0.104
Brain metastasis
−	77	65	120	33	120	47	100	40	113	51	116	46	62	101	109	64
+	1	0	2	0	3	0	3	0	2	0	2	0	0	2	0	2
P-value		0.357		0.459		0.280		0.275		0.343		0.374		0.270		0.069
Chest metastasis
−	74	58	108	141	111	44	91	37	104	48	107	43	56	94	98	61
+	3	7	14	0	12	3	12	3	11	3	11	3	6	9	10	5
P-value		0.111		0.041		0.488		0.467		0.431		0.564		0.839		0.701
Opposite breast
−	77	63	117	32	119	45	99	39	111	49	113	46	60	99	103	65
+	0	2	5	1	4	2	4	1	4	2	5	01	2	4	5	1
P-value		0.121		0.778		0.751		0.686		0.888		0.156		0.827		0.275

VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; RECK, reversion-inducing cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs; ER, estrogen receptor; PR, progesterone receptor; ErbB2, erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog 2.