Background & objective: CD44v6 plays an important role in the malignant transformation of breast epithelia and is differentially expressed in normal and neoplastic breast tissue. The diagnostic value of this marker in differentiating malignant from benign breast lesions has not been well examined. This study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic value of CD44v6 protein in distinguishing between benign and malignant papillary lesions of the breast, which is be difficult morphologically, by determining the level of CD44v6 expression in different lesions of the breast.
Methods: The level of CD44v6 protein was detected by immunohistochemistry in 111 paraffin-embeded blocks.
Result: The positive expressive rates of CD44v6 protein in the basal epithelial cells of the normal tissue, intraductal papilloma, and its malignant transformation, intraductal carcinoma, invasive ductal carcinoma were 95.00%, 85.72%, 66.66%, 66.66%, and 0.00% respectively. The difference between the intraductal papilloma and its malignant transformation was not significant(P > 0.05). However, the positive expressive rates of CD44v6 protein in the luminal epithelial cells of the above lesions were 5.00%, 20.41%, 83.34%, 93.33%, and 100% respectively. There was difference between intraductal papilloma and its malignant transformation(P < 0.01).
Conclusion: CD44v6 detection by immunohistochemistry is useful in distinguishing intraductal papilloma from its malignant transformation of the breast.