Prolactin Receptor Expression is an Independent Favorable Prognostic Marker in Human Breast Cancer

摘要

Prolactin (PRL) hormone plays an important role in the development of the mammary gland and terminal differentiation of the mammary epithelial cells. While initial studies suggested that PRL may contribute to the development of breast cancer through PRL/prolactin receptor (PRLR) autocrine function, mounting evidence indicate a different role for PRL, highlighting this hormone as a regulator of epithelial plasticity and as a potential tumor suppressor. To gain further insights into the role of PRL in human breast carcinogenesis, im-munohistochemistry analyses of PRLR protein expression levels using tissue microarray of 102 cases were done in comparison with various clinical/pathologic parameters and molecular subtypes.