Cyclin E overexpression as an independent risk factor of visceral relapse in breast cancer

Aim: Prognostic value of the cyclin E overexpression in breast cancer has not been clearly established, especially in relation to the pattern of recurrence. We investigated the implication of cyclin E overexpression for the pattern of recurrence in Korean breast cancer patients. Methods: Using immunohistochemical methods, we retrospectively examined the cyclin E expression level in breast cancer specimens from 128 women who underwent curative breast surgery, and correlated the levels of expression with the pattern of relapse in patients. Results: Cox model-based multivariate analysis indicated that distant relapse could be predicted by the number of positive axillary lymph nodes, high cyclin E expression, and the younger age (< 35 years) of the patient. We tested further the association of cyclin E overexpression with the specific types of recurrence; multivariate analyses indicated that adjusted relative risks of bone and visceral relapse as the first events among high cyclin E group were 2.46 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.86-7.02) (P = 0.092), and 3.98 (95% Cl, 1.23-12.94) (P = 0.022), respectively. On the other hand, cyclin E overexpression was not associated with the risk of locoregional relapse. Conclusion: Our data suggest that cyclin E overexpression in primary breast carcinoma tissue could independently predict the risk of distant relapse, especially of visceral relapse, as the first failure after curative breast surgery. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.