We studied immunohistochemically one thousand one hundred and thirty-seven cases of primary invasive breast
cancers (NST) and adjacent normal mammary glands for
tenascin expression, and compared their elastic content to verify if a relationship exists between
tenascin expression and elastosis. Periductal, perivascular and stromal elastosis were graded on a scale from 0 to 3 (absent to massive). All
carcinomas showed
tenascin expression and elastosis with various histological appearances. In the adjacent breast, teanscon was distributed around the normal ducts or with extasia and uctal
hyperplasia without atypia. Digestion of the sections with
elastase prior to staining resulted in a loss of the specific staining reactions in all areas where elastosis was present.
Tenascin staining was observed in the mesenchyme closely surrounding the neoplastic ducts and the
cancer cell nests. Stromal
tenascin staining appeared stronger in those
carcinomas that exhibited marked desmoplastic reactions. The highly differentiated tumours contained more elastosis in their tumour tissue than the poorly differentiated ones, whereas
tenascin expression was stronger in poorly differentiated tumours than well differentiated tumours. A strong staining for
tenascin was observed in the elastotic cuff.
Tenascin staining did not disappear afterwards with
elastase. We did not find a statistically significant correlation between
tenascin expression, elastosis and prognostic factors such as size of the tumour,
lymph node metastasis, tumour
necrosis and age. In our study
tenascin proved to be an additional
element in elastotic areas even though the significance of an association between elastosis and
tenascin is still unknown, as is that of elastosis itself.