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Basement Membrane Changes in Breast Cancer Detected by Immunohistochemical Staining for Laminin¹

The University Institute of Pathological Anatomy, Frederik V's vej 11, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark [R. A., U. W.]; Department of Pathological Anatomy, Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark [M. N.]; and La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation, La Jolla, California 92037 [E. E., E. R.]

The distribution of the basement membrane glycoprotein laminin was studied by the immunoperoxidase technique in benign and malignant human breast tissue and in axillary lymph nodes from patients with breast cancer. An antiserum prepared against rat laminin was used. The specificity of this antiserum against human laminin was studied using the FL cell line of human epithelial-like cells derived from normal amniotic membrane. The antiserum reacted with these cells in immunoperoxidase staining and precipitated metabolically labeled secreted polypeptides which comigrated with polypeptides with molecular weights of 400,000 and 200,000 of rat laminin in sodium dodecyl sulfate:polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

The neoplastic cells in malignant breast tissues showed strong cytoplasmic staining for laminin, and a positive reaction was also found in lymph node metastases. In some cases in which only micrometastases were present, these cells also stained strongly for laminin. In nonmalignant breast tissues, the epithelial cells of the ducts were positive for laminin, but the staining was weaker than in the carcinomas. Pretreatment of the fixed tissue sections with trypsin markedly enhanced the staining of basement membranes for laminin. In trypsin-treated sections of normal breast tissue and benign lesions, the laminin staining delineated continuous basement membranes. In carcinomas representing the more differentiated types, basement membranes presumably produced by the tumor cells could be revealed by laminin staining, but they were thinner and discontinuous. The poorly differentiated carcinomas lacked organized basement membranes detectable by laminin staining.

Our studies suggest that staining for laminin may be a useful adjunct test for detection of micrometatases in lymph nodes. The correlation of disintegration of the laminin-containing basement membranes of tumors with increasingly anaplastic appearance supports the notion that basement membranes may play a role in tumor invasion.

¹ This work was supported by a grant from the Danish Cancer Society and Grant CA 27455 from the National Cancer Institute, Department of Health and Human Services.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 4/21/81. Accepted 9/ 9/81.