Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1993 May;46(5):441–445. doi: 10.1136/jcp.46.5.441

Vimentin expression in benign and malignant breast epithelium.

M Heatley 1, C Whiteside 1, P Maxwell 1, P Toner 1
PMCID: PMC501254  PMID: 7686566

Abstract

AIMS--To determine vimentin expression in epithelial cells in benign breast disease and malignant breast tumours; to assess the value of vimentin expression as a prognostic indicator in breast carcinoma. METHODS--Frozen and formalin fixed, paraffin wax embedded sections from 78 carcinomas, three phyllodes tumours, 19 fibroadenomas and 19 cases of fibrocystic disease were examined with a monoclonal antibody from the V9 clone. A correlation between vimentin expression and known prognostic indicators was sought in ductal carcinomas. The intracellular localisation of vimentin was examined in benign and malignant lesions. RESULTS--Vimentin expression was identified on frozen section in the cells of ductal (53%), lobular (86%), and mucinous (33%) carcinomas and in the luminal epithelium of fibroadenomas (68%), cases of fibrocystic disease (47%), and a malignant phyllodes tumour. Formalin fixation reduced the percentage of carcinomas and cases of benign disease in which vimentin was detected. This reduction was more pronounced in fibroadenoma and fibrocystic disease than in ductal carcinoma. Associations were identified between vimentin expression as detected on frozen section and tumour grade, size, number of lymph nodes affected, oestrogen receptor content and growth fraction. Only the association with grade was significant (p = 0.045). There was no significant correlation between any of these prognostic variables and vimentin expression on paraffin wax sections. There was no difference in the intracellular localisation of vimentin staining between benign and malignant lesions, or between low and high grade ductal carcinomas. CONCLUSION--There is some loss of vimentin immunoreactivity after formalin fixation. Vimentin expression does not assist in differentiating between benign and malignant breast disease, but is correlated with tumour grade in ductal carcinoma.

Full text

PDF

Images in this article

442Image
on p.442
442Image
on p.442
443Image
on p.443
443Image
on p.443

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Altmannsberger M., Dralle H., Weber K., Osborn M., Droese M. Intermediate filaments in cytological specimens of thyroid tumors. Diagn Cytopathol. 1987 Sep;3(3):210–214. doi: 10.1002/dc.2840030307. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Azumi N., Battifora H. The distribution of vimentin and keratin in epithelial and nonepithelial neoplasms. A comprehensive immunohistochemical study on formalin- and alcohol-fixed tumors. Am J Clin Pathol. 1987 Sep;88(3):286–296. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/88.3.286. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. BLOOM H. J., RICHARDSON W. W. Histological grading and prognosis in breast cancer; a study of 1409 cases of which 359 have been followed for 15 years. Br J Cancer. 1957 Sep;11(3):359–377. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1957.43. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Buley I. D., Gatter K. C., Heryet A., Mason D. Y. Expression of intermediate filament proteins in normal and diseased thyroid glands. J Clin Pathol. 1987 Feb;40(2):136–142. doi: 10.1136/jcp.40.2.136. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cattoretti G., Andreola S., Clemente C., D'Amato L., Rilke F. Vimentin and p53 expression on epidermal growth factor receptor-positive, oestrogen receptor-negative breast carcinomas. Br J Cancer. 1988 Apr;57(4):353–357. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1988.81. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Domagala W., Lasota J., Bartkowiak J., Weber K., Osborn M. Vimentin is preferentially expressed in human breast carcinomas with low estrogen receptor and high Ki-67 growth fraction. Am J Pathol. 1990 Jan;136(1):219–227. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Domagala W., Lasota J., Dukowicz A., Markiewski M., Striker G., Weber K., Osborn M. Vimentin expression appears to be associated with poor prognosis in node-negative ductal NOS breast carcinomas. Am J Pathol. 1990 Dec;137(6):1299–1304. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Domagala W., Lubinski J., Weber K., Osborn M. Intermediate filament typing of tumor cells in fine needle aspirates by means of monoclonal antibodies. Acta Cytol. 1986 May-Jun;30(3):214–224. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Domagala W., Woźniak L., Lasota J., Weber K., Osborn M. Vimentin is preferentially expressed in high-grade ductal and medullary, but not in lobular breast carcinomas. Am J Pathol. 1990 Nov;137(5):1059–1064. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ellis I. O., Bell J., Ronan J. E., Elston C. W., Blamey R. W. Immunocytochemical investigation of intermediate filament proteins and epithelial membrane antigen in spindle cell tumours of the breast. J Pathol. 1988 Feb;154(2):157–165. doi: 10.1002/path.1711540208. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Elston C. W. The assessment of histological differentiation in breast cancer. Aust N Z J Surg. 1984 Feb;54(1):11–15. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1984.tb06677.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Fleming S., Symes C. E. The distribution of cytokeratin antigens in the kidney and in renal tumours. Histopathology. 1987 Feb;11(2):157–170. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.1987.tb02619.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Georgatos S. D., Blobel G. Two distinct attachment sites for vimentin along the plasma membrane and the nuclear envelope in avian erythrocytes: a basis for a vectorial assembly of intermediate filaments. J Cell Biol. 1987 Jul;105(1):105–115. doi: 10.1083/jcb.105.1.105. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Gould V. E., Koukoulis G. K., Jansson D. S., Nagle R. B., Franke W. W., Moll R. Coexpression patterns of vimentin and glial filament protein with cytokeratins in the normal, hyperplastic, and neoplastic breast. Am J Pathol. 1990 Nov;137(5):1143–1155. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Henzen-Logmans S. C., Stel H. V., van Muijen G. N., Mullink H., Meijer C. J. Expression of intermediate filament proteins in adrenal cortex and related tumours. Histopathology. 1988 Apr;12(4):359–372. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.1988.tb01951.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kawahara E., Ooi A., Oda Y., Katsuda S., Terahata S., Michigishi T. Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland with anaplastic transformation in the metastatic foci. An immunohistochemical study. Acta Pathol Jpn. 1986 Jun;36(6):921–927. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1827.1986.tb03125.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Lehto V. P., Miettinen M., Virtanen I. Antibodies to intermediate filaments in surgical pathology. Arch Geschwulstforsch. 1986;56(4):283–298. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Leong A. S., Gilham P., Milios J. Cytokeratin and vimentin intermediate filament proteins in benign and neoplastic prostatic epithelium. Histopathology. 1988 Oct;13(4):435–442. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.1988.tb02059.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Mohraz M., Simpson M. V., Smith P. R. The three-dimensional structure of the Na,K-ATPase from electron microscopy. J Cell Biol. 1987 Jul;105(1):1–8. doi: 10.1083/jcb.105.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Mørk C., van Deurs B., Petersen O. W. Regulation of vimentin expression in cultured human mammary epithelial cells. Differentiation. 1990 Apr;43(2):146–156. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-0436.1990.tb00441.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Nagle R. B. Intermediate filaments: a review of the basic biology. Am J Surg Pathol. 1988;12 (Suppl 1):4–16. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Osborn M., Weber K. Tumor diagnosis by intermediate filament typing: a novel tool for surgical pathology. Lab Invest. 1983 Apr;48(4):372–394. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Pitz S., Moll R., Störkel S., Thoenes W. Expression of intermediate filament proteins in subtypes of renal cell carcinomas and in renal oncocytomas. Distinction of two classes of renal cell tumors. Lab Invest. 1987 Jun;56(6):642–653. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Raymond W. A., Leong A. S. Co-expression of cytokeratin and vimentin intermediate filament proteins in benign and neoplastic breast epithelium. J Pathol. 1989 Apr;157(4):299–306. doi: 10.1002/path.1711570406. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Raymond W. A., Leong A. S. Vimentin--a new prognostic parameter in breast carcinoma? J Pathol. 1989 Jun;158(2):107–114. doi: 10.1002/path.1711580205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Sommers C. L., Walker-Jones D., Heckford S. E., Worland P., Valverius E., Clark R., McCormick F., Stampfer M., Abularach S., Gelmann E. P. Vimentin rather than keratin expression in some hormone-independent breast cancer cell lines and in oncogene-transformed mammary epithelial cells. Cancer Res. 1989 Aug 1;49(15):4258–4263. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Wahli W. Evolution and expression of vitellogenin genes. Trends Genet. 1988 Aug;4(8):227–232. doi: 10.1016/0168-9525(88)90155-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES