THE EXPRESSION AND CLINICAL VALUE OF APOPTOSIS CONTROL GENE Bcl-2 AND Bax IN BREAST CANCER

Objective: To study the expression and clinical value ofapoptosis control gene bcl-2 and bax in breast cancer.Methods: Protein bax and bcl-2 in 41 breast cancersobtained from operations in our hospital in 1996 weredeterted using ABC immunohistochemical stain assay andcompared with 10 cases with normal breast tissues.Results: The positive rate of bax in normal breast tissue was90% and in breast cancer was 59%, with a significantstatistital difference between them (P<0.05), but there wasno statistital difference in bcl-2 protein expression. Amongthe 41 breast cancer, the group with lymph node methetasis(21 cases) bad obviously low bax expression (43%) and highbcl-2 expression (76% ), showing significant difference to thegroup without lymph node metastasis (P<0.05).Conclusion: The antiapoptosis function of bcl-2 wasstronger than bax in breast cancer. Protein bax and bcl-2assay may be useful in understanding the biologicalbehaviors of breast cancer.