Androgen receptors in male breast carcinoma

Androgen receptors (ARs) have been investigated in female breast carcinoma (FBC), but only a few studies have been performed in male breast carcinoma (MBC). AR expression was retrospectively analysed on formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissues from 47 patients with primary MBC at diagnosis using the monoclonal antibody 2F12. 16 cases (34%) were immunopositive. No association was found between AR and patient age, tumour stage, progesterone receptors (PGR) and p53 protein expression. A trend was found for histological grade: 42.8% grade 1-2 cases, but only 8.3% grade 3 tumours were AR positive (p=0.08). A negative association was found between AR and cell proliferative activity: AR negative cases had higher MIB-1 scores (25.4%) than AR positive cases (21.11%; p=0.04). A strong association was found with oestrogen receptors (ER): 15/16 AR positive cases were also ER positive (p=0.0001). In univariate analysis, AR (as well as ER and PGR) were not correlated with overall survival, contrary to tumour histological grade (p=0.02), size (p=0.01), p53 expression (p=0.0008) and MIB-1 scores (p=0.0003). In multivariate survival analysis, only p53 expression (p=0.002) and histological grade (p=0.02) had independent prognostic significance. In conclusion, the lack of association between AR and most clinico-pathological features and survival, and the absence of prognostic value for ER/PGR status, suggest that MBC and FBC are biologically different. Therefore, an antihormonal therapy for patients with MBC seems to be questionable.