Immunohistochemical evidence for RNA virus related components in human breast cancer

The localization of antigenic components with cross-reactivity to a 52,000 dalton group specific glycoprotein (gp52) of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) in paraffin sections of human breast carcinomas is described using an indirect immunoperoxidase method. This method was first optimized on paraffin sections of mouse mammary tumors. The specificity of the reaction observed in the human tissues was established by absorption of the specific IgG with: a) purified gp52; b) several relevant and irrelevant viral preparations; c) normal human plasma, leukocytes, breast tissue, milk, actin, collagen, and hyaluronic acid; d) sheep erythrocytes, bovine mucin and fetal calf serum. Only MMTV and purified gp52 eliminated the immunohistochemical reaction in human breast tumors. Positive reactions were seen in 171 of 376 (45.5 percent) randomly selected breast carcinomas of various histopathologic types, while negative reactions were obtained in all 137 normal and benign cases tested. In those invasive tumors with an intraductal component, a higher percentage (63.9 percent) of positive cases was seen. A positive reaction of different specificity was observed in foci of apocrine metaplasia. With one exception, 99 carcinomas from 13 organs other than breast and eight cystosarcomas were negative.