Intratumoural mRNA expression of genes from the oestradiol metabolic pathway and clinical and histopathological parameters of breast cancer

Table 3 Mean values of mRNA expression of oestrogen metabolising enzymes (amol/mg RNA) in relation to the clinical and histopathological parameters of a set of 155 breast cancer patients

Clinical parameter	n	CYP19	STS	HSD1	HSD2	EST	ERα	ERβ
Age
< 50 years	48	37.60	316.3	0.0027	0.0250	140.49	2.20	0.22
> 50 years	107	84.30	347.3	0.0198	0.0080	100.28	4.96	0.14
Stage
I	81	77.50	265.7	0.0136	0.0970	93.81	4.60	0.20
II	57	45.90	304.5	0.2580	0.1170	135.22	4.70	0.16
III	17	13.60	382.1*	0.0970	-	122.98	2.04	0.13
Tumour category
1	61	73.30	285.3	0.0140	0.0120	98.30	4.20	1.19
2	55	67.80	223.7	0.0273	0.1090	113.30	4.70	0.16
3	29	14.30	409.1	0.0090	-	139.20	3.60	0.15
4	10	6.3***	446.3**	0.0140	-	194.8***	2.70	0.04
Lymph node status
1	90	30.80	303.7	0.0260	0.0980	128.60	5.40	0.18
2	65	47.00	409.2	0.0150	0.1260	119.72	2.80	0.17
Histology
Ductal	87	63.40	384.1	0.0210	0.0110	119.32	4.64	0.17
Lobular	16	45.90	262.5	0.0160	0.0094	121.64	4.34	0.16

CYP19, aromatase; STS, steroid sulfatase; HSD1, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase I; HSD2, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase II; EST, oestradiol sulfotransferase; ERα, oestrogen receptor α ; ERβ, oestrogen receptor β. *P < 0.01 (stage III versus stage I). **P < 0.01 (tumour category 3 and 4 versus tumour category 1 and 2). ***P < 0.05 (tumour category 3 and 4 versus tumour category 1 and 2).

ISSN: 1465-542X