1. ¹Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
2. ²Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
3. ³Department of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore

Correspondence: Dr P-H Tan, FRCPA, Department of Pathology, Singaopre General Hospital, Outram Road, Singapore 169608, Singapore. E-mail: tan.puay.hoon@singhealth.com.sg; Dr GW-C Yip, MBBS, PhD, Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Block MD 10, Singapore 117597, Singapore. E-mail: georgeyip@nus.edu.sg

Received 3 April 2006; Revised 5 June 2006; Accepted 7 June 2006; Published online 7 July 2006.

Abstract

Phyllodes tumors are fibroepithelial neoplasms typified by stromal proliferation. We have previously shown the role of pathologic parameters and the prognostic significance of p53 and CD117 protein expression in these tumors. In this study, we evaluated the expression of heparan sulfate, which has been implicated in many biological processes such as cell adhesion, embryogenesis, and tumorigenesis (including malignant transformation of mammary cells) in 232 breast phyllodes tumors. We used a monoclonal antibody, 10E4, to examine the localization of heparan sulfate in phyllodes tumors by immunohistochemistry. The immunoreactivity of both epithelial and stromal components was examined and analyzed with pathological parameters and other immunohistochemical markers, including p53, MIB1, bcl2, and CD117. Stromal 10E4 expression was significantly associated with tumor grade, stromal p53, and MIB1 expression in proliferating cells, suggesting that heparan sulfate may participate in malignant tumor growth.