Syndecan-1, a cell surface
proteoglycan found predominantly on epithelia of mature tissues, binds both extracellular matrix (ECM) components and
basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and is implicated in the restriction of growth and invasiveness of neoplastic cells, as it induces the adhesion capacity of neoplastic cells with the stroma. In this study we investigated
breast carcinomas for the immunohistochemical expression of
syndecan-1 protein and these results were assessed in relation to clinicopathological parameters, in order to clarify its prognostic value. The possible relationship with
hormone receptors content, p53, cell proliferation markers, and extracellular matrix components was also estimated. Tissue sections from 102
breast carcinomas were used and immunostainings were performed on
formalin-fixed,
paraffin-embedded tissue sections by the labelled
streptavidin avidin biotin (LSAB) method. High expression levels were observed, as 75/102 (73.5%) cases expressed immunoreactivity in more than 80% of neoplastic cells, while 67/102 (65.7%) exhibited high staining intensity. The survival analysis showed an increased mortality risk associated with high
syndecan-1 staining intensity with borderline significance (p=0.041). In addition, there was a strong negative correlation between
syndecan-1 protein expression and ECM, specifically
collagen IV (p=0.026) and
tenascin (p=0.0067). The results of the present study show the implication of this
protein in the remodeling of
breast cancer tissue, through the interaction with other extracellular matrix components, probably influences the tumour progression.