Collagenase Secretion by Human Breast Neoplasms: A Clinicopathologic Investigation

Evidence is presented that biopsy specimens from fibroadenomas, benign cystic lesions, and carcinomas of the human breast can produce in organ culture a neutral protease capable of digesting type I collagen. This enzyme activity, measured with the use of a radioactive release assay, was characterize...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:JNCI : Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1985-01, Vol.74 (1), p.19-27
Main Authors: Ogilvie, Donald J., Hailey, Jane A., Juacaba, Sergio F., Lee, Emanoel C. G., Tarin, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adenofibroma - enzymology
Biological and medical sciences
Biopsy
Breast Diseases - enzymology
Breast Neoplasms - enzymology
Carcinoma - enzymology
Cysts - enzymology
Female
Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics
Humans
Mammary gland diseases
Medical sciences
Microbial Collagenase - biosynthesis
Neoplasm Metastasis
Organ Culture Techniques
Tumors
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Summary:Evidence is presented that biopsy specimens from fibroadenomas, benign cystic lesions, and carcinomas of the human breast can produce in organ culture a neutral protease capable of digesting type I collagen. This enzyme activity, measured with the use of a radioactive release assay, was characterized as true vertebrate collagenase and occurred in both active and latent (requiring trypsin activation) forms. For the two types of benign breast lesion studied, collagenase secretion was significantly higher from fibroadenomas than from benign cystic tissue. Breast carcinomas, however, exhibited a wide quantitative spectrum of collagenase secretion, encompassing the extremes observed for the benign lesions and showing no correlation with histologic type. These results, while providing a plausible mechanism for the marked collagen degradation seen in disseminating neoplasms, demonstrate that high collagenase secretory activity is not pathognomonic of invasive behavior. The findings, however, indicate disordered regulation of collagenase activity in malignant tumors.
ISSN:0027-8874
1460-2105
DOI:10.1093/jnci/74.1.19