乳腺癌组织中STING蛋白的表达及其临床意义

目的探讨干扰素基因刺激因子(stimulator of interferon,STING)在乳腺癌组织中的表达及其临床意义。方法采用免疫组化SP法检测42例乳腺癌及其癌旁正常组织中STING蛋白的表达,分析STING蛋白表达与乳腺癌临床病理特征的关系。结果STING蛋白在乳腺癌组织的阳性率(23.8%,10/42)低于癌旁正常组织(52.4%,22/42)(χ^2=7.269,P<0.05),其表达与患者的HER-2阳性率、Lumina分型相关(χ^2=8.839,P<0.05)。STING蛋白低表达是乳腺癌患者术后复发的危险因素之一(OR=7.472,95%CI:1.279~43.637,P=0.026)。结论乳腺癌组织中STING蛋白表达降低,与乳腺癌预后相关,可能参与乳腺癌的发生、发展,有望成为乳腺癌治疗的潜在靶点。     

葡萄糖转运蛋白1在乳腺癌组织中表达的临床意义

目的 探讨葡萄糖转运蛋白1(glucose transporter 1,Glut-1)及其mRNA在正常乳腺组织、乳腺纤维腺病、乳腺纤维腺瘤和乳腺癌中的表达及其意义.方法 收集乳腺组织标本147例,其中乳腺浸润性导管癌92例、纤维腺瘤26例、腺病24例、正常乳腺组织5例,应用免疫组织化学EnVision法、Western blot以及RT-PCR分别定量检测不同病变组织中Glut-1蛋白及其mRNA表达水平.结果 在正常乳腺组织、乳腺腺病以及纤维腺瘤组织中难以检测到Glut-1阳性表达或仅呈轻微胞质着色.在乳腺癌组织中,Glut-1表达强度明显增高(P=0.0002),主要定位于瘤细胞膜,细胞质染色较淡.原发灶及转移灶中央的细胞Glut-1表达明显高于周边癌组织,转移灶Glut-1表达水平明显高于原发灶,浸润癌高于原位癌.Western blot定量分析结果显示,乳腺癌组织中Glut-1表达水平显著高于纤维腺瘤(P=0.001)和腺病(P=0.001),各病变组织间差异有统计学意义(P=0.0002).RT-PCR定量检测分析显示乳腺浸润性导管癌中Glut-1 mRNA的表达明显高于纤维腺瘤(P＜0.05)和腺病(P＜0.05),各病变组织间差异有统计学意义(P=0.0001).结论 乳腺癌组织中葡萄糖转运活性显著增高,Glut-1的表达水平与乳腺肿瘤的恶性程度、肿瘤细胞的浸润与转移密切相关;Glut-1高表达可作为细胞的恶性转化标志,并有望成为乳腺恶性肿瘤早期诊断、判断预后的一种新标记物及治疗的新靶点.     

乳腺癌组织中CBX8的表达及临床意义

目的探讨CBX8在乳腺癌组织中的表达及其临床意义。方法采用免疫组化SP法检测128例原发性乳腺癌组织中CBX8的表达,分析其表达与乳腺癌临床病理特征和患者生存的关系。结果 CBX8在乳腺癌组织和癌旁正常乳腺组织中的高表达率分别为50.0%(64/128)和24.2%(31/128),差异有统计学意义(χ~2=18.227,P0.001);其表达与肿瘤分期(P0.001)和脉管内癌栓(P=0.014)有关;Kaplan-Meier生存分析表明,CBX8高表达乳腺癌患者有更短的无瘤生存期及总生存期(P=0.022,P=0.014);Cox回归分析表明,CBX8是影响乳腺癌患者无瘤生存期的独立因素(HR=4.832;95%CI:1.058～22.066,P=0.042)。结论 CBX8蛋白在乳腺癌组织中高表达预示乳腺癌患者预后较差。     

乳腺癌和癌旁乳腺组织中Notch1基因mRNA及蛋白的表达

目的 检测Notch1基因mRNA及Notch1蛋白在人乳腺癌和癌旁乳腺组织中的表达,分析其临床病理学意义.方法 应用逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)方法榆测60例乳腺浸润性导管癌和60例癌旁乳腺组织中Notch1基因mRNA,应用免疫组织化学SP法检测60例乳腺浸润性导管癌、30例导管原位癌及60例癌旁乳腺组织Notch1蛋白的表达,分析Notch1表达水平与乳腺癌临床病理特征的相关性.结果 Notch1基因mRNA在人乳腺浸润性导管癌及癌旁乳腺组织中均有表达.Notch1蛋白在癌旁乳腺组织和导管原位癌中的阳性牢分别为55%(33/60)、70%(21/30),二者差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),在乳腺浸润性导管癌中的阳性率为90%(54/60),明显高于癌旁乳腺组织和导管原位癌的阳性率(P<0.05).乳腺浸润性导管癌Notch1蛋白的高表达与肿瘤的淋巴结转移(P=0.006)、病理学分级(P=0.001)和TNM分期(P=0.022)均呈显著正相关.结论 乳腺浸润性导管癌存在Notch1蛋白的高表达.Notch1蛋白高表达与乳腺癌的恶变演进有关.Notch1基因的表达可能影响乳腺癌的发生、发展.     

Yes相关蛋白1在乳腺癌中的表达及临床意义

目的探讨yes相关蛋白1(YAP1)在正常乳腺组织及乳腺癌中的表达及其临床意义。方法采用免疫组织化学Envision法检测133例乳腺浸润性导管癌,37例乳腺导管原位癌及47例癌旁组织中YAP1的表达。结果 (1)YAP1在乳腺癌旁组织中的阳性率(81%)明显高于乳腺癌组织中的阳性率(46%)(P0.05);(2)YAP1在乳腺导管原位癌中的阳性率为43%,与乳腺浸润性导管癌之间的差异无统计学意义(P=0.925);(3)YAP1阳性表达与患者年龄、肿瘤大小及淋巴结转移转移无关,而与乳腺癌的分子分型有关(P0.05)。结论在乳腺癌中YAP1可能作为抑癌基因发挥作用,YAP1的表达对乳腺癌的治疗有一定意义。     

乳腺癌组织中SOX1O的表达及其临床意义

目的 探讨乳腺癌组织中SOX10的表达及其与临床病理特征的相关性.方法 采用免疫组化EnVision两步法检测1 17例乳腺癌组织中SOX10的表达,分析其表达与临床病理特征的关系.结果 SOX10仅在正常乳腺组织中肌上皮细胞中表达,在其他细胞如腺腔细胞和成纤维细胞中不表达;SOX10在三阴型乳腺癌中的阳性率为69％,SOX10在其他类型乳腺癌(腺腔A、腺腔B和HER-2过表达型)中未见表达.三阴型乳腺癌组织中SOX10的阳性率显著高于其他类型的乳腺癌(X2=76.643,P＜0.001);兔单抗EP268仅见细胞核着色,兔多抗ab108408可见胞质和胞核同时着色.结论 SOX10有可能作为乳腺肌上皮细胞及三阴型乳腺癌诊断的标志物.     

非编码RNA LUCAT1在大肠癌中的表达及其临床意义

目的检测非编码RNA LUCAT1在大肠癌及癌旁的表达差异,并探讨其与患者临床病理参数和预后的相关性及临床意义。方法采用原位杂交组织化学法检测221对大肠癌病理组织标本和癌旁组织标本中LUCAT1表达水平,两样本秩和检验比较癌与癌旁的LUCAT1表达;采用Pearsonχ^2、非条件Logistics回归、Logrank检验,多因素COX比例风险回归模型以及MDR法分析LUCAT1表达与大肠癌患者临床病理参数及预后的相关性。结果LUCAT1在大肠癌细胞的核和浆均有表达;其在癌和癌旁组织的表达水平分别为141%(90%~210%)和98%(40%~150%),二者比较P<0.05;LUCAT1在癌组织中的表达与年龄(OR=2.288,95%CI:1.294~4.046,P=0.004)、性别(OR=0.540,95%CI:0.308~0.947,P=0.002)、浸润深度(OR=2.249,95%CI:1.394~4.373,P=0.002)、淋巴结转移(OR=2.061,95%CI:1.170~3.631,P=0.012)及Dukes分期(OR=2.089,95%CI:1.148~3.804,P=0.016)存在相关性;对于大肠癌患者,LUCAT1高表达和低表达时总体中位生存时间分别为41个月和111个月,二者比较P<0.001;多因素分析发现,LUCAT1表达为患者预后的独立风险因素(HR=4.502,95%CI:2.865~7.072,P<0.001);降维分析结果显示LUCAT1表达联合8个危险因素结合起来评判预后效果更好,是预测大肠癌预后情况的最佳模型(CV Consistency=10/10,P=0.001)。结论大肠癌中LUCAT1表达水平显著升高,其表达水平与年龄、性别、浸润深度、淋巴结转移及Dukes分期存在相关性,而且LUCAT1高表达使患者的生存时间显著缩短,提示LUCAT1可作为大肠癌发生以及患者术后预后评判的分子标志物。     

非小细胞肺癌中窖蛋白1基因的蛋白表达和甲基化及其意义

目的 检测窖蛋白1(Car-1)在非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)中的蛋白表达以及启动子的甲基化状况,探讨Cav-1基因在NSCLC中的作用及其临床意义.方法 应用免疫组织化学(sP法)和量子点Qd600染色检测123例NSCLC组织、17例良性病变肺组织中Cav一1蛋白表达和亚细胞定位.亚硫酸氢钠处理DNA,甲基化特异性PCR(MSP)检测Cav-1基因启动子区域的甲基化水平.结果 Cav-1蛋白在肺支气管黏膜上皮细胞、肺泡上皮细胞、毛细血管内皮细胞、成纤维细胞、平滑肌细胞的胞质和胞膜高表达.癌旁组织(对照)组和肺癌组中Cav-1蛋白的阳性率分别为17/17、43.1%(53/123),两组间差异有统计学意义(P=0.001);Cav-1蛋白在NSCLC不同的组织学类型(P=0.552)和分化程度(P=0.160)中差异均无统计学意义.Cav-1蛋白阳性率与NSCLC的TNM分期(P=0.001)以及淋巴结转移(P=0.001)均相关.在40例Cav-1蛋白表达为阴性的肺癌组织和12例癌旁肺组织,MSP法均未检测到Cav-1因启动子区域的甲基化.结论 Cav-1蛋白失表达的机制可能与启动子区是否甲基化无关.Cav-1蛋白高表达预示NSCLC恶化进展和高侵袭性.     

子宫颈癌中Gli蛋白过表达的临床病理学意义

目的 研究Gli蛋白检测在子宫颈癌及其癌前病变中的临床病理学意义,并分析Gli蛋白表达与HPV16型感染的关系.方法 32例正常子宫颈上皮、71例子宫颈上皮内瘤变(CIN);其中CIN1 28例、CIN2 18例、CIN3 25例和80例子宫颈鳞状上皮癌(SCC)共183例存档蜡块选自延边大学医院、延边妇幼保健院和延边肿瘤医院病理科.应用PCR技术检测上述组织中HPV16型的感染,并用免疫组化方法在子宫颈病变组织芯片中检测Gli-1、Gli-2、Gli-3蛋白的表达情况.结果 Gli-1和Gli-2蛋白呈胞质和胞核染色,Gli-3蛋白多数呈胞质染色.在子宫颈癌和癌前病变(CIN2/3)中,Gli-1~3呈强阳性,其阳性表达率均显著高于正常子宫颈黏膜上皮.80例子宫颈癌标本中HPV16阳性率是77.5%.在子宫颈癌组织中HPV16阳性组的Gli-1蛋白的胞质阳性率(85.5%,53/62)与强阳性率(85.5%,53/62)以及Gli-2蛋白的胞质阳性率(100%)与胞核强阳性率(100%)均高于HPV16阴性组(Gli-1胞质阳性率与强阳性率均为0,Gli-2胞质阳性率和胞核强阳性率分别为0和50%),差异具有统计学意义(P均<0.05);而3种蛋白表达率与患者的年龄、淋巴结转移、肿瘤学分期和临床分期均无关.结论 Gli-1、Gli-2、Gli-3蛋白过表达可以作为子宫颈癌及其癌前病变的早期辅助诊断指标,Gli蛋白的表达水平与HPV16感染密切相关,且有望成为子宫颈癌靶向治疗的新靶点.     

乳腺癌组织中SOX10的表达及其临床意义

目的探讨乳腺癌组织中SOX10的表达及其与临床病理特征的相关性。方法采用免疫组化En Vision两步法检测117例乳腺癌组织中SOX10的表达,分析其表达与临床病理特征的关系。结果 SOX10仅在正常乳腺组织中肌上皮细胞中表达,在其他细胞如腺腔细胞和成纤维细胞中不表达;SOX10在三阴型乳腺癌中的阳性率为69%,SOX10在其他类型乳腺癌(腺腔A、腺腔B和HER-2过表达型)中未见表达。三阴型乳腺癌组织中SOX10的阳性率显著高于其他类型的乳腺癌(χ2=76.643,P0.001);兔单抗EP268仅见细胞核着色,兔多抗ab108408可见胞质和胞核同时着色。结论 SOX10有可能作为乳腺肌上皮细胞及三阴型乳腺癌诊断的标志物。     

乳腺癌中高迁移率族蛋白B1和表皮生长因子受体1的表达及相关性研究

目的 探讨乳腺癌组织中高迁移率族蛋白B1(HMGB1)和表皮生长因子受体1(EGFR)的表达情况、相关性,及其对患者预后的影响。方法 纳入2007年1月-2018年12月东阳市人民医院病理科浸润性乳腺癌石蜡标本392例。患者均为女性;年龄26～90岁,中位年龄52岁。采用免疫组织化学EnVision法,检测标本中HMGB1蛋白在细胞核、细胞质的表达情况以及EGFR蛋白在细胞膜的表达情况,分析HMGB1蛋白与EGFR蛋白表达的相关性。根据HMGB1蛋白在细胞核及细胞质表达状态分为细胞核低表达且细胞质阴性组、细胞核高表达且细胞质阴性组、细胞核低表达且细胞质阳性组、细胞核高表达且细胞质阳性组,比较4组间EGFR蛋白的表达情况。分别观察细胞核HMGB1蛋白高表达+EGFR蛋白阳性、细胞质HMGB1蛋白阳性+EGFR蛋白阳性时对患者预后的影响。结果 (1)乳腺癌中,HMGB1蛋白在细胞核和细胞质阳性表达率分别为80.1%(314/392)和15.1%(59/392),EGFR蛋白在细胞膜阳性表达率为53.6%(210/392)。(2)细胞核HMGB1蛋白高表达患者的EGFR蛋白阳性率56.1%(176/314),高于细胞核HMGB1蛋白低表达的EGFR蛋白阳性率43.6%(34/78),差异有统计学意义(χ²=3.901, P<0.05);Spearman相关分析显示细胞核HMGB1蛋白高表达和EGFR蛋白阳性呈正相关(r=0.100, P<0.05)。细胞质HMGB1蛋白阳性患者的EGFR蛋白阳性率(66.1%,39/59),高于细胞质HMGB1蛋白阴性的EGFR蛋白阳性率(51.4%,171/333),差异有统计学意义(χ²=4.384, P<0.05);Spearman相关分析显示细胞质HMGB1蛋白阳性和EGFR蛋白阳性表达亦呈正相关(r=0.106, P<0.05)。(3)HMGB1蛋白细胞核低表达且细胞质阴性68例、细胞核高表达且细胞质阴性265例、细胞核低表达且细胞质阳性10例、细胞核高表达且细胞质阳性49例,4组中EGFR蛋白阳性率分别为42.6%(29/68)、53.6%(142/265)、50.0%(5/10)、69.4%(34/49),组间比较差异有统计学意义(χ²=8.242, P<0.05)。(4)392例乳腺癌病例中,235例获得了预后生存分析资料。患者术后随访时间为3～80个月,平均60个月。生存分析显示,在235例患者中,5年累积生存率为90.6%,5年无复发累积生存率为81.3%。细胞核HMGB1蛋白高表达且EGFR阳性的患者5年无复发累积生存率为75.2%,低于其他患者的85.8%,差异有统计学意义(χ²=4.171、P<0.05)。细胞核HMGB1蛋白高表达+EGFR阳性的患者5年累积生存率为89.1%,与其他患者的91.8%比较,差异无统计学意义(χ²=0.557、P＞0.05)。细胞质HMGB1蛋白阳性+EGFR阳性的患者5年无复发累积生存率为72.2%,5年累积生存率为83.3%,分别低于其他患者的82.0%、91.2%,但差异均无统计学意义(χ²=1.070、1.307,P值均＞0.05)。结论 细胞核及细胞质HMGB1蛋白的表达均与EGFR蛋白表达正相关,并且细胞核或细胞质HMGB1蛋白与EGFR蛋白同时高表达的患者有更低的5年无复发累积生存率和5年累积生存率。同时抑制HMGB1和EGFR可能成为抗乳腺癌治疗的新策略。     

Cytoplasmic expression of high mobility group B1 (HMGB1) is associated with tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in breast cancer

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a prototypic alarmin or damage‐associated molecule inducing inflammatory mediator release and immune response. Several studies have revealed the prognostic and predictive importance of tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in breast cancer. The present study analyzed the expression of HMGB1 in each breast cancer subtype and the relationship between the expression level of HMGB1 and pathologic parameters including TILs. Two cohorts were studied: 575 consecutive breast cancer patients who underwent surgery between 1995 and 1998; and 767 triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients who underwent surgery between 2004 and 2010. The immunohistochemical expression level of HMGB1 in cytoplasm and nucleus was evaluated using tissue microarrays. High HMGB1 expression in cytoplasm was associated with high histologic grade, pT stage, and abundant TILs in the consecutive breast cancer cohort. Cytoplasmic HMGB1 expression was higher in TNBCs and HER2‐positive tumors than in hormone receptor‐positive tumors. In the TNBC cohort, high cytoplasmic HMGB1 expression was significantly associated with high histologic grade, abundant TILs, and high numbers of CD8+ cells. However, nuclear HMGB1 expression was not associated with histologic grade or TIL levels. Neither cytoplasmic nor nuclear expression of HMGB1 showed prognostic significance in TNBC. Cytoplasmic HMGB1 expression is associated with TIL levels in breast cancer.     

Expression of EGFR and c-kit is associated with the basal-like phenotype in breast carcinomas of African women

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and c-kit are tyrosine kinase growth factor receptors which are frequently expressed in basal-like breast carcinomas, and tyrosine kinase inhibition is now a promising strategy in treatment of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of EGFR and c-kit in breast cancer with special focus on the basal-like phenotype (BLP) and other prognostic factors in an African population. We analyzed 65 archival tissues immunohistologically. EGFR and/or c-kit were expressed in 55% of basal-like tumors. Expression of EGFR and/or c-kit was strongly associated with high histologic grade (P=0.001), high nuclear grade (P=0.017), high mitotic counts (P=0.002), ER negativity (P=0.003), PR negativity (P=0.007), and HER2 negativity (P=0.014). EGFR and/or c-kit positive tumors were more likely to express the BLP (OR 9.1, CI 2.6-32.0, P<0.0005) than the negative tumors. In conclusion, there is a high expression of EGFR and/or c-kit in basal-like breast carcinoma in this series from Uganda and their expression is associated with features of poor prognosis. More studies are required to assess the clinical significance of EGFR and c-kit in breast cancer patients in Uganda.     

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, Na+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor 1, and breast cancer susceptibility gene-1 as new biomarkers for familial breast cancers

The aim of this study is to evaluate the analysis of markers related with progression, to further characterize familial breast cancers. Here, we investigated the expression of breast cancer susceptibility gene-1, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1, and Na+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor 1 in 187 microarrayed breast carcinomas from 94 familial and 93 sporadic breast cancer patients by immunohistochemical staining. Furthermore, the expression levels of these biomarkers were compared with triple-negative phenotype. Familiarity was significantly associated with younger age (P < .000), higher tumor grade (P = .038), negative estrogen receptor hormonal status (P = .036), and high proliferative activity (P = .029). The familial cancers were immunonegative for membranous Na+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor 1 expression compared with sporadic cancers (P = .001); notably, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 staining correlated with cytoplasmic Na+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor 1 expression in familial tumors (P = .009). In multivariate analysis, the "new biomarkers," including negative human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status (odds ratio, 4.538; 95% confidence interval, 1.756-11.728), negative membranous Na+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor 1 expression (odds ratio, 7.686; 95% confidence interval, 1.876-31.483) and positive nuclear breast cancer susceptibility gene-1 (odds ratio, 0.3982; 95% confidence interval, 0.169-0.936), significantly correlated with family history of breast cancer. We hypothesize that the evaluation of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, Na+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor 1, and breast cancer susceptibility gene-1 could be clinically useful to identify familial breast tumors and to select patients candidate to breast cancer susceptibility genes 1/2 gene sequencing.     

Angiogenin is up-regulated in the nucleus and cytoplasm in human primary breast carcinoma and is associated with markers of hypoxia but not survival

Angiogenin, a 14.2 kD polypeptide that was originally noted for its angiogenic activity, is now increasingly recognized to have a multiplicity of biological roles in both physiological and pathological conditions. In breast cancer, there are conflicting studies questioning the role of angiogenin. Here, the pattern of expression of angiogenin during the transition from normal breast tissue to ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive carcinoma is reported together with the correlates between the level of angiogenin in 239 invasive carcinomas and standard clinicopathological parameters, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 alpha and the HIF-1 alpha target gene DEC-1. This study shows that angiogenin expression is up-regulated in the cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments in in situ carcinoma and invasive carcinoma compared with normal breast tissue and that angiogenin expression in invasive carcinomas is significantly positively associated with high tumour grade (p = 0.03), positive oestrogen receptor (ER) status (p = 0.01), HIF-1 alpha (p = 0.001) and DEC 1 (p = 0.001), but not with patient age (p = 0.8), tumour size (p = 0.25), lymph node status (p = 0.69), epidermal growth factor receptor (p = 0.56) or microvessel density (p = 0.32). No difference in relapse-free (p = 0.26) or overall (p = 0.63) survival was observed in patients stratified by angiogenin expression. This study suggests that angiogenin may be important in breast cancer progression and that, through its relationship with ER, it may be a target for tamoxifen.     

Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of SR-B1 in solid tumors: A meta-analysis

BackgroundThe expression of cell surface receptors is abnormal in malignant tumors. The scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-B1) is an integral membrane glycoprotein receptor that facilitates the selective uptake of cholesterol by malignant cells. Accumulated studies investigated the prognostic role of SR-B1 in many solid tumors, such as breast cancer, lung cancer and so on. However, the conclusions remain undefined. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to obtain more accurate evaluation of prognostic significance of SR-B1 in solid tumors.Materials and methodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, Web of science and Cochrane library for eligible studies published before November 2018. The included studies investigated the association between the SR-B1 level and clinicopathological features including survival outcomes in solid tumors. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were adopted to assess the survival outcomes and odds ratio (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled to evaluated the clinicopathological features.ResultsA total of 10 studies involving 2585 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that low SR-B1 level was significantly correlated with earlier tumor grade (pooled OR = 2.09, 95%CI = 1.28–3.43, P = 0.001), less nodal involvement (pooled OR = 2.07, 95%CI = 1.43–3.0, P < 0.001), less distant metastasis (OR = 19.8, 95%CI = 2.58–151.65, P = 0.004), smaller tumor size (OR = 2.34, 95%CI = 1.53–3.57, P < 0.001), earlier TNM stage (OR = 3.77, 95%CI = 1.67–8.48, P = 0.001), lower recurrence (HR = 1.98, 95%CI = 1.57–2.49, P = 0.000), and better OS (HR = 1.99, 95%CI = 1.70–2.31, P = 0.000).ConclusionThe low expression of SR-B1 was significantly associated with better clinicopathological status and longer survival in patients with solid tumors. SR-B1 might act as a promising prognostic biomarker for solid tumors.     

Yes-associated protein (YAP) is differentially expressed in tumor and stroma according to the molecular subtype of breast cancer

In this study, we aimed to clarify the expression profiles of Yes-associated protein (YAP) and phosphorylated YAP (pYAP) protein and to verify the clinical implication of the expression of YAP protein in human breast cancer. We selected 678 cases of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) breast cancer tissue to construct tissue microarray (TMA) blocks. We performed immunohistochemical staining of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth receptor-2 (HER-2) and Ki-67 and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assay for HER-2 on the TMA sections and divided breast cancers into molecular subtypes: luminal A, luminal B, HER-2, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Then, we examined YAP and pYAP expression status using immunohistochemical analysis according to the molecular subtypes of breast cancer. We found that HER-2 type breast cancer demonstrated elevated expression level in tumoral cytoplasmic YAP (P = 0.011) and pYAP (P = 0.049). Expressions of stromal YAP (P = 0.002) and pYAP (P < 0.001) were higher in luminal B and HER-2 type breast cancer but lower in TNBC. In univariate analysis, nuclear YAP expression of tumor cells was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) (P = 0.024). Cytoplasmic YAP expression of HER-2 type breast cancer cells negatively affected disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.034). In conclusion, we concluded that there was a significant difference in YAP and pYAP expression status according to molecular subtypes and tumoral and cellular components of breast cancers. Finally, we found that nuclear and cytoplasmic YAP expression could be a prognostic marker for breast cancer patients.     

Expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2/Flk-1 in breast carcinomas: correlation with proliferation

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor Flk-1/KDR play an important role in vascular permeability and tumor angiogenesis. Prompted by the hypothesis that VEGF/Flk-1 system may have regulatory roles in breast carcinogenesis, we investigated the expression of Flk-1 in 141 invasive breast carcinomas in correlation with clinical and immunohistochemical prognostic parameters, including proliferation indices like Ki-67 and Topoisomerase IIalpha (Topo-IIalpha). The immunohistochemical avidin-biotin-peroxidase method was performed on paraffin sections for the detection of Flk-1, p53, Bcl-2, c-erbB-2, Ki-67, Topo-IIalpha, ER, and PR. Flk-1 was detected in 91 of 141 (64.5%) of invasive breast carcinomas showing a widespread cytoplasmic expression in most of the neoplastic cells. Flk-1 expression was correlated with the menopausal status (P = 0.051) of the patient and the nuclear grade of the invasive breast carcinoma (P = 0.003), but demonstrated no correlation with histologic grade, stage, and patient survival. It is interesting that Flk-1 expression demonstrated a significant correlation with 2 well-established proliferation indices, Ki-67 (P = 0.037) and topo-IIalpha (P = 0.009), whereas there was no correlation with the expression of ER, PR, p53, Bcl-2, and c-erbB-2. Moreover, Flk-1 expression showed an inverse correlation with TIMP-1 mRNA localization in intratumoral stromal cells (P = 0.013). In conclusion, the significant correlation of Flk-1 expression in invasive breast carcinomas with proliferation indices like Ki-67 and topo-IIalpha suggests that VEGF may exert a growth factor activity on mammary cancer cells through its receptor Flk-1. On the other hand, the inverse correlation of Flk-1 with TIMP-1 mRNA in intratumoral stromal cells supports the notion that TIMP-1 may have an inhibitory role on angiogenesis.     

Downregulation of nuclear expression of the p33(ING1b) inhibitor of growth protein in invasive carcinoma of the breast

BACKGROUND/Aims: The inhibitor of growth gene 1 (ING1) is a modulator of cell cycle checkpoints, apoptosis, and cellular senescence. The most widely expressed ING1 isoform is p33(ING1b), which can modulate p53, a molecule that is frequently altered in breast cancer. Reduced ING1 mRNA expression has been observed in primary breast cancer expressing wild-type p53. METHODS: p33(ING1b), p53, oestrogen receptor (ER), and progesterone receptor (PgR) expression was studied in 86 primary invasive breast cancers using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Reduced nuclear expression of p33(ING1b) was found in cancer cells, both in intensity and the proportion of cells staining. This was associated with enhanced cytoplasmic p33(ING1b) expression in a proportion of cases. Analysis of several known biological factors indicated that high grade tumours were of larger size and more often negative for ER and PgR expression. However, larger tumours were more frequently p53 negative. These results provide evidence that p33(ING1b) alterations are associated with more poorly differentiated tumours. Positive correlations were found between nuclear p33(ING1b) expression and both ER and PgR expression. CONCLUSIONS: Optimum function of p53 is dependent on p33(ING1b) so that a reduction of nuclear p33(ING1b) expression, as seen in this series, would be predicted to compromise p53 function. This study showed that p33(ING1b) alterations were associated with more poorly differentiated tumours. Therefore, p33(ING1b) expression could be used as a marker of differentiation in invasive breast cancer. These results support the view that loss of p33(ING1b) may be an important molecular event in the differentiation and pathogenesis of invasive breast cancer.     

Lack of expression of androgen receptor may play a critical role in transformation from in situ to invasive basal subtype of high-grade ductal carcinoma of the breast

Androgen receptor has been implicated in the pathogenesis of breast carcinoma. In this study, we explored the potential role of androgen receptor in breast cancer by analyzing its expression using immunohistochemistry and its relationship with tumor progress (ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS] versus invasive ductal carcinoma [IDC]); nuclear grades (high grade [HG] versus non-high grade); expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), HER-2; and 3 molecular classifications: cytokeratin classification, triple (ER/PR/HER-2) negative classification, and ER/HER-2 classification in 184 breast carcinomas. We found that (1) lack of androgen receptor expression was associated with HG-IDC and with basal subtypes of HG-IDC, suggesting androgen receptor may play an important role in preventing the invasive transformation in this subgroup of breast carcinoma. (2) HG-IDC and HG-DCIS more frequently expressed androgen receptor than ER (55%-93% for androgen receptor and 18%-30% for ER) and were frequently androgen receptor+/ER- (63% for HG-DCIS and 39% for HG-IDC), which made androgen receptor a possible therapeutic target. (3) One third of HG-IDC was negative for androgen receptor, ER, PR, and HER-2, suggesting that further studies are needed to identify other key molecules for targeted therapy. We purpose that androgen receptor should be routinely measured for breast cancer.