Recombinant Human Endostatin Endostar Inhibits Tumor Growth and Metastasis in a Mouse Xenograft Model of Colon Cancer

To investigate the effects of recombinant human endostatin Endostar on metastasis and angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis of colorectal cancer cells in a mouse xenograft model. Colon cancer cells SW620 were injected subcutaneously into the left hind flank of nude mice to establish mouse xenograft models. The mice were treated with normal saline or Endostar subcutaneously every other day. The growth and lymph node metastasis of tumor cells, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in tumor tissue were detected. Apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were studied by flow cytometry. The expression of VEGF-A, -C, or -D in SW620 cells was determined by immunoblotting assays. Endostar inhibited tumor growth and the rate of lymph node metastasis (P < 0.01). The density of blood vessels in or around the tumor area was 12.27 ± 1.21 and 22.25 ± 2.69 per field in Endostar-treated mice and controls (P < 0.05), respectively. Endostar also decreased the density of lymphatic vessels in tumor tissues (7.84 ± 0.81 vs. 13.83 ± 1.08, P < 0.05). Endostar suppresses angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in the lymph nodes with metastases, simultaneously. The expression of VEGF-A, -C and -D in SW620 cells treated with Endostar was substantially lower than that of controls. Endostar inhibited growth and lymph node metastasis of colon cancer cells by inhibiting angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in a mouse xenograft model of colon cancer.     

Identification of CD146 expression,angiogenesis, and lymphangiogenesis as progression,metastasis, and poor-prognosis related markers for gallbladder adenocarcinoma

Gallbladder cancers (GBC) are associated with high disease-specific mortality rates because of no means of early detection and effective therapies. In this study, we investigated CD146 expression, microvessel densities, and lymph vessel densities in 108 adenocarcinomas, 15 gallbladder polyps, 35 chronic cholecystitis tissues, and 46 peritumoral tissues using immunohistochemistry. We demonstrated that positive CD146 expression, and average microvessel and lymph vessel counts in gallbladder adenocarcinomas were significantly higher than those in peritumoral tissues, polyps, and chronic cholecystitis (ps < 0.01). Positive CD146 expression, and average microvessel and lymph vessel counts were also significantly lower in cases with well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, maximal tumor diameter <2 cm, no metastasis of lymph node, and no invasion of regional tissues than in cases with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, maximal tumor diameter ≥2 cm, metastasis in lymph nodes, and invasion of regional tissues (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Univariate Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that increased expression of CD146 (p = 0.056), higher average microvessel counts (p < 0.05), and lymph vessel counts (p < 0.05) were associated with decreased overall survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that average microvessel and lymph vessel counts (ps < 0.05) were independent prognostic predictors in gallbladder adenocarcinoma. Our study suggested that the elevated expression of CD146, angiogenesis, and lymphangiogenesis might be closely related to progression, invasion, metastasis, and prognosis of gallbladder adenocarcinoma.     

Dystroglycan is Associated with Tumor Progression and Patient Survival in Gastric Cancer

Previous reports had indicated that there was a possible correlation of dystroglycan (DG) with biological behavior of cancer cells and cancer patients’ survival. However, the role of DG expression in gastric cancer was rarely studied. In this study, α-DG and β-DG expression were determined by immunohistochemistry in specimens of primary cancer, metastatic lymph node, distal metastatic lesion, and their normal counterpart tissues in 20 gastric cancer patients. Correlations between α-DG and β-DG expression and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed. Our results found that positive expression of α-DG in normal mucosa, paired primary tumor, metastatic lymph node and distal metastatic site was detected in 95%, 70%, 25%, and 5% specimens, individually. Regarding β-DG,it was 70%, 55%, 10%, and 10%, individually. Patients who had lower α-DG expression in tumors than in normal counterparts showed poor survival (p = 0.002), whereas such a correlation was not found in the case of β-DG (p = 0.079). Difference of α-DG between primary tumor and its normal counterparts was an independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer with distal metastasis. This study showed DG expression was gradually reduced during tumor progression. Different expression of α-DG, but not β-DG, between primary tumor and normal specimen, correlated with patient survival, implicating a potential marker for gastric cancer prognosis.     

46例直肠癌远端系膜内扩散情况

背景与目的:全直肠系膜切除可能因为清除了直肠癌远端系膜内的转移灶而获得较低的局部复发率,但直肠癌的远端系膜扩散情况如何、应该切除多长系膜才足够等问题尚无定论.本研究的目的是探讨直肠癌远端系膜内扩散的情况,为根治术提供更充分的临床病理证据.方法:应大切片连续切片、HE染色方法观察46例直肠癌根治术后标本中肿瘤远端扩散的方式和距离,并用Logistic回归方法分析其与临床病理因素的关系.结果:远端肠壁内浸润的发生率为10.9%(5/46),最远距离1.5cm;远端系膜内扩散发生率为21.7%(10/46),最远距离为4cm;扩散的方式有淋巴结转移、孤立的癌结节、脉管和神经浸润.多因素分析显示TNM分期是远端扩散的唯-影响因素.结论:直肠癌远端系膜内扩散较常见,根治术时应切除不少于5 cm的远端直肠系膜.     

淋巴管生成在直肠癌淋巴结转移中的作用及其对预后的影响

目的 观察直肠癌的淋巴管生成情况并探讨淋巴管生成在直肠癌淋巴结转移中的作用及对患者预后的影响.方法 以免疫组化方法对63例有完整随访资料的直肠癌及相应切缘正常组织的淋巴管进行染色,并测定淋巴管密度（lymphatic vessel density,LVD）;同时检测促淋巴管生长因子VEGF-C及其受体VEGFR-3的表达.结果 直肠癌肿瘤周边区淋巴管密度（peritumoral LVD,LVDpt）显著高于中心区淋巴管密度（intratumoral LVD,LVDit）及正常组织,而后两者相比差异无显著性;其中LVDpt与直肠癌VEGF-C及VEGFR-3的表达、淋巴结转移、低的5年生存率密切相关.结论 直肠癌主要是肿瘤周边区存在着淋巴管的生成,淋巴管的数量不但与直肠癌的淋巴结转移密切相关而且可以作为评价患者预后的一个可靠指标.     

Clusterin as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Marker for Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder

We investigated the feasibility of profiling and measuring the concentration of clusterin in urine and serum for individuals with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder and comparing it with nontumor controls. In addition, we analyzed the correlation of expression of clusterin in specimens of TCC to various clinicopathologic parameters and prognosis of bladder cancer. Blood and urine samples were used from 68 patients with TCC of the bladder and from 61 patients with benign urological diseases. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were performed for clusterin from serum and urine. Quantitation of clusterin mRNA was carried out in 68 bladder tumor specimens from radical cystectomy or transurethral resection and 26 normal bladder specimens from BPH patients by using RT-PCR method. Correlation for the expression of clusterin mRNA with clinicopathologic parameters was analyzed. Serum and urine clusterin was significantly higher in individuals with bladder cancer than control (p = 0.001). Sensitivity and specificity of serum and urine clusterin as a tumor marker for TCC of the bladder was found to be 80%, 91%, 87.1% and 96.7% respectively. Clusterin expression was significantly higher in TCC specimens than normal tissue specimens (P < 0.001). Expression of clusterin was significantly higher in patients with invasive TCC of the bladder than that in patients with superficial TCC and control (P < 0.001). Overexpression of clusterin mRNA was significantly associated with tumor recurrence and overall survival (p < 0.001). The recurrence-free survival time of patients with overexpression of clusterin was significantly shorter than that of patients with weak expression of clusterin (9.8 months vs. 35.2 months). Clusterin may be considered as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for bladder cancer using urine, serum and/or molecular biology techniques.     

Determination of microvessel density by quantitative real-time PCR in esophageal cancer: correlation with histologic methods, angiogenic growth factor expression, and lymph node metastasis.

PURPOSE: Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are important steps in tumor growth and dissemination and are of prognostic importance in solid tumors. The determination of microvessel density (MVD) by immunohistology is subject to considerable variability between different laboratories and observers. We compared MVD determination by immunohistology and quantitative real-time PCR and correlated the results with clinical variables. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The expression of endothelial antigens vascular endothelial cadherin (CD144), P1H12 (CD146), tie-2, and VEGFR-2, and lymphatic endothelial markers VEGFR-3, Prox, and LYVE was assessed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in primary surgical samples. The expression of angiogenetic growth factors VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, angiopoietin-1, and angiopoietin-2 was quantified by PCR and correlated with MVD and clinical variables. RESULTS: The expression of endothelial antigens vascular endothelial cadherin (CD144), P1H12 (CD146), tie-2, and VEGFR-2 correlated with each other in 54 samples of primary esophageal cancer (P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). MVD determined immunohistologically by CD31 staining in a subgroup of 35 patients correlated significantly with the qPCR method. The expression of angiogenetic growth factors VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, angiopoietin-1, and angiopoietin-2 was significantly associated with MVD (P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). Analysis of the expression of lymphendothelial markers VEGFR-3, Prox, and LYVE revealed concordant results, indicating that quantification of lymphendothelial cells is possible by qPCR. The presence of lymph node metastasis on surgical specimens was significantly correlated with MVD (P < 0.003), VEGFR-2 (P < 0.048), and VEGF-C (P < 0.042) expression. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that quantification of MVD by qPCR in surgical samples of esophageal carcinoma yields similar results with immunohistology. Interestingly, the extent of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis was not related in individual tumor samples. Lymph node metastases could be predicted by MVD and VEGF-C expression.     

Prognostic value of Smac expression in rectal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy

The objective was to evaluate expression of second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase (Smac) expression before and after treatment in patients treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally advanced rectal cancer and to correlate the clinicopathological characteristics and level of Smac expression with pathologic response and outcome. Expression of biomarker was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in tumor samples from 98 patients with clinical Stage II and III rectal cancer treated with preoperative pelvic radiotherapy plus concurrent chemotherapy. All patients received a standardized total mesorectal excision procedure after a long interval of 4–6 weeks. For Smac, patients with a good response to neoadjuvant CRT tended to have higher pre-therapy levels (P = 0.007). The level of Smac expression decreased after neoadjuvant therapy (P = 0.016). High expression of Smac before CRT, and high Dworak’s tumor regression grade (TRG) were significantly associated with improved 5-year disease-free survival (P < 0.05). Pretreatment nodal status also was significantly associated with 5-year disease-free survival and 5-year local relapse-free survival (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis confirmed that the pretreatment expression of Smac and Lymph nodal status were independent prognostic factors. Our study suggests that high expression of Smac before neoadjuvant CRT could predict good outcome in locally advanced rectal cancer patients.     

Expression of PEBP4 protein correlates with the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer

This study aimed to investigate the expression of PEBP4 protein in colorectal carcinoma tissues and its correlation with the clinical pathology of colorectal cancer and to investigate the relationship between PEBP4 expression and the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer cells, which could provide an experimental basis for future biological treatments of human colorectal cancer. RT-PCR and western blot methods were applied to detect the mRNA and protein expressions, respectively, of PEBP4 in colorectal cancer tissues and normal pericarcinoma tissues, and their correlations with the tumorigenesis and development of colorectal cancer, as well as its clinical pathology, were analyzed. Using the RNA interference technology, the expression of PEBP4 was knocked down in the human colorectal cancer cell HCT116, and the changes of the invasion capability of HCT116 were monitored. The positive mRNA expression rate of PEBP4 in colorectal cancer tissue was significantly higher than that in the normal pericarcinoma tissue (p < 0.05). Also, the positive expression rate in the cancer tissues from patients with positive lymph node and distant metastasis was significantly higher than that from the patients negative for lymph node and distant metastasis (p < 0.05). The positive expression rate of PEBP4 in the cancer tissues from the patients in early stages (I, II) was significantly lower than the expression rate in patients in advanced stages (III, IV) (p < 0.05). A lower degree of differentiation in colorectal cancer corresponded to a higher positive mRNA expression rate of PEBP4 (p < 0.05). However, this was independent of the patient’s gender, age, and tumor size (p > 0.05). In colorectal cancer tissue, the expression of PEBP4 protein was consistent with its mRNA. Namely, PEBP4 protein expression in colorectal cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in the normal pericarcinoma tissues (p < 0.05), the expression in the cancer tissues from the patients with positive lymph node and distant metastasis was significantly higher than that from the patients who were negative for these metastases (p < 0.05), and a lower degree of differentiation in colorectal cancer corresponded to a higher TNM staging along with a higher PEBP4 protein expression (p < 0.05). After HCT116 cells transfected with PEBP4 siRNA, they showed a significantly lower expression level of PEBP4 protein (p < 0.05), and the number of cells that passed through the Transwell chamber was significantly lower compared to the non-transfected or the transfected controls (p < 0.05). The over-expression of PEBP4 protein may be related to the tumorigenesis, development, metastasis, and invasion of colorectal cancer.     

Vascular endothelial growth factor A gene (VEGFA) polymorphisms and expression of VEGFA gene in lung cancer patients of Kashmir Valley (India)

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a major mediator of angiogenesis involving tumor growth and metastasis. Polymorphisms in the VEGF gene may regulate VEGF production. In this case–control study, we investigated whether functional polymorphisms (+405 C > G and +936 C > T) in the VEGF gene are associated with the risk of lung cancer. Genomic DNA was isolated from the blood of 100 lung cancer patients and 150 healthy controls, and total RNA was isolated from 48 tumor tissues and adjacent normal lung tissues. Two DNA polymorphisms (+405 C > G and +936 C > T) in the 3′-untranslated regions (3′-UTR) and 5′-untranslated regions (5′-UTR) of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) were studied using PCR–RFLP method, and mRNA expression of VEGFA was studied by quantitative real-time PCR. Polymorphisms in the 5′-UTR (+405 C > G) and 3′-UTR (+936 C > T) did not show significant difference between lung cancer cases and control samples (P = 0.11 and P = 0.09, respectively). VEGF +405 CG and GG are significantly more in age group >50 years old, in all grades, and in early pathological stages (P = 0.04, P = 0.03, and P = 0.006, respectively). Also, increased expression of VEGFA mRNA was noted in tumorous compared to non-tumorous tissue (P < 0.0001). Overexpression of the gene was considered at ΔC _T > 6.0. Within the group of patients with conventional tumor, those with histology other than squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) had a higher level of VEGFA mRNA expression than SCC patients (P = 0.04). Overexpression of VEGFA mRNA was noted in lung cancer and more so in lung cancer with adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma histology and in pathological stages III and IV. VEGFA +405 C > G SNP showed an association with age, pathological grade, and stage.     

Overexpression of CD24, c-myc and Phospholipase 2A in Prostate Cancer Tissue Samples Obtained by Needle Biopsy

Altered CD24, c-myc and phospholipase 2a expression was reported in different cancers. Our aim was to measure the expression of these genes in prostate cancer tissues, and compare it to non-cancerous samples. Prostate tissue samples were collected by needle biopsy from 20 prostate cancer (PCA) and 11 benign prostate hyperplasic (BPH) patients. RNA was isolated; cDNA synthetized, CD24, c-myc and phospholipase 2A (PL2A) expressions were determined by quantitative real-time PCR method. The expression of β-globin gene was measured for normalization of the gene expression results. Serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels were determined by microparticle enzyme immunoassay (MEIA) method. PSA levels were significantly different between the PCA and BPH groups, 252.37 ± 308.33 ng/ml vs. 3.5 ± 2.14 ng/ml (p = 0.001), respectively. CD24 expression was 988.86 ± 3041 ng/μl in prostate tumor and 4.00 ± 4.25 ng/μl in the BPH group (p = 0.035). The c-myc expression was 88.32 ± 11.93 ng/μl in the prostate tumor and 17.08 ± 21.75 ng/μl in the BPH group (p = 0.02), and the PL2A 31.36 ± 67.02 ng/μl was in PCA and 5.56 ± 14.08 ng/μl in BPH (p = 0.025). Gleason’s scores showed correlation with c-myc (p = 0.019) and PSA (p = 0.033) levels. Overexpression of PL2A, CD24 and c-myc was observed in prostate cancer samples using quantitative real-time PCR method.     

VEGF-D及其受体VEGFR-3在非小细胞肺癌中的表达与淋巴结转移的关系

  目的   对VEGF-D及其受体VEGFR-3在良性疾病肺组织和非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）组织中的表达进行研究,探寻其相互之间的关系,从而进一步探讨VEGF-D、VEGFR-3在肺癌发生及NSCLC淋巴管生成和淋巴结早期转移中的作用。   方法   收集非小细胞肺癌患者术后肺组织标本52例,良性疾病肺组织30例,应用半定量逆转录聚合酶链反应法（RT-PCR）检测良性疾病肺组织及肺癌组织中VEGF-D、VEGFR-3 mRNA的表达量。   结果   VEGF-D mRNA、VEGFR-3 mRNA在肺癌组织中的表达水平较良性疾病肺组织表达水平明显升高（P < 0.05）。VEGF-D、VEGFR-3 mRNA在肺癌组织中的表达与淋巴结转移无显著相关。   结论   VEGF-D、VEGFR-3 mRNA的表达与肺癌发生有显著的相关性。      

Advances in the research on lymphangiogenesis in carcinoma tissues (Review)

Metastatic spread of tumors is an important prognostic factor for cancer patients. The effect of angiogenesis on cancer cell proliferation and metastatic spread has been confirmed. However, less attention has been focused on research involving tumor lymphangiogenesis as opposed to research on tumor angiogenesis, due to the lack of specific markers for lymphatic vessel endothelial cells (LVECs). Recently, the improvement of isolation techniques for LVECs and the discovery of specific LVEC markers such as vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3), podoplanin, lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor-1 (LYVE-1) and Prox1 have led to advances in research involving lymphangiogenesis in carcinoma tissues. New lymphatic vessels in tumor tissues may originate from bone marrow endothelial progenitor cells, directly from the preexisting lymphatic vessels, and even by cell transformation. Peritumoral lymphatic vessels play a more important role in the process of tumor metastasis by providing more channels for lymphatic invasion and metastatic spread. The molecular mechanism of tumor lymphangiogenesis is complicated, and numerous factors such as VEGF-A, platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), and angiopoietins (Ang) are directly or indirectly involved in the process. However, it has been demonstrated that the VEGF-C/VEGF-D/VEGFR-3 signaling pathways are the most important mechanism underlying tumor lymphangiogenesis.     

Abnormal Expression of Adhesion Protein Bves is Associated with Gastric Cancer Progression and Poor Survival

Although many molecular and biological studies have shown risk factors for gastric cancer, the available knowledge is still insufficient to unveil the exact mechanism of gastric cancer. To investigate the relationships between Bves expression and the clinicopathologic features of gastric cancer and whether Bves can act as prognostic indicators in gastric cancer. Tissues were obtained from the gastrectomy specimens of 306 human gastric cancer and 78 noncancerous gastric tissue at the Department of Surgery and Pathology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from February 1996 to March 2007. The method of immunohistochemistry was used to investigate the expression of Bves in them. The relationship between Bves expression and the survival times of the patients was retrospectively analysed. Reduced expression of Bves frequently occurred in gastric cancer tissue. Low expression of Bves correlated with histologic differentiation, depth of invasion, regional lymph nodes and distant metastasis, and TNM stages (P < 0.05). Bves expression did not correlate with age, gender, location of tumor, size of tumor and histologic type (P > 0.05); Further multivariate analysis revealed that lymph node metastasis (P < 0.0001), distant metastasis (P < 0.0001), surgical treatment (P < 0.0001), and the expression of Bves (P < 0.0001) were independent prognostic factors in patients with gastric cancer; The Kaplan-Meier plot showed that survival times of patients with low Bves expression was significantly lower than those in patients with high Bves expression. Besides, low Bves expression had a much more significant effect on the survival of those patients with early stage tumors (χ2 = 131.216,P < 0.0001), highlighted by a >51.3% reduction in 3-year survival compared with that of patients with high Bves expression. In late stages, the difference was also significant (χ2 = 5.818,P = 0.016), with a 34.8% reduction in 3-year survival. Reduced expression of Bves in gastric cancer is associated with tumor progression and the patient’s poor survival. This study showed that the studied protein has further provided a basis for the development of potential biomarker for gastric cancer prognosis.     

The role of SPARC protein expression in the progress of gastric cancer

We aimed to investigate the expression of SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine) in gastric cancer and its relationship with tumor angiogenesis and cancer cells proliferation. Protein expression of SPARC, VEGF, CD34 and Ki-67 in 80 cases of gastric cancer and 30 cases of normal gastric tissue was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. CD34 staining was used as an indicator of microvessel density (MVD). Ki-67 labeling Index (LI) indicated cancer cells proliferation. Statistical analysis was used to investigate its relationship with clinical characteristics, tumor angiogenesis and cancer cells proliferation. SPARC expression was mainly in the stromal cells surrounding the gastric cancer cells, and was statistically significant differences between gastric cancer and normal gastric tissue (P < 0.05). Both the expression of SPARC and VEGF were related to differentiation degree, clinical stage, Lauren classification and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Expression of SPARC was significantly negatively correlated with the expression of VEGF and MVD in gastric cancer tissues. Expression of SPARC was also negatively correlated with Ki-67-LI. Our findings suggest that both the expression of SPARC and VEGF are closed to tumor angiogenesis in gastric cancer, SPARC inhibited tumor angiogenesis but VEGF promoted tumor angiogenesis. SPARC also inhibited cells proliferation of gastric cancer.     

Plenary lectures

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an important factor in gastric carcinogenesis, and COX-2 expression in gastric cancer patients correlates with prognosis. We have now studied the impact of COX-2 in comparison to six other tissue tumor markers, DNA index, and S-phase fraction (SPF) in a large series of gastric cancer specimens. From 342 consecutive patients, 337 archival tissue specimens were available for immunohistochemistry of COX-2, HuR, cyclin A, MMP-2, p53, p21, and Ki-67 and 313 for analysis of DNA index and S-phase fraction by flow cytometry. Associations between factors were assessed by chi-square test and survival analysis by the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox model. A significant association emerged between of COX-2 and p53 (p < 0.0001), Ki-67 (p = 0.013), DNA ploidy (p < 0.0001), and SPF (p < 0.0001). In an extended multivariate analysis, COX-2 and p53 expression were independent prognostic factors for poor survival, in addition to high stage and non-curative surgery. In gastric cancer, COX-2 expression associated with markers for apoptosis and proliferation, and furthermore, it was confirmed that COX-2 and p53 are strong prognostic indicators.     

The significance of expression of autophagy-related gene Beclin,Bcl-2, and Bax in breast cancer tissues

The purpose of this study was to detect the expression of autophagy-related gene Beclin1 and apoptosis-related genes Bcl-2 and Bax in breast cancer tissues, to investigate their relationship and significance to the occurrence and development of breast cancer, and to provide an experimental basis for the biological treatment of breast cancer in the future. Human breast cancer tissues and relatively healthy breast tissue adjacent to the tumor were collected during surgical resection. By using RT–PCR and western blot, the mRNA and protein expressions of Beclin1, Bcl-2, and Bax were detected in the breast cancer tissues and the relatively healthy, adjacent tissues. The correlations of these expressions with the occurrence, development, and clinicopathology of breast cancer were analyzed. The mRNA and protein expressions of Beclin1 and Bcl-2 in breast cancer tissues were significantly lower than those in the relatively healthy, adjacent breast tissues (p < 0.05); the lower the degree of tumor differentiation, the lower the mRNA and protein expressions of Beclin1 and Bcl-2 (p < 0.05); the mRNA and protein expressions of Beclin1 and Bcl-2 in breast cancer tissues from patients positive for lymph node metastasis were significantly lower than those negative for lymph node metastasis (p < 0.05); the mRNA and protein expressions of Beclin1 and Bcl-2 in breast cancer tissues from patients positive for distant metastasis were significantly lower than those negative for distant metastasis (p < 0.05); the mRNA and protein expressions of Beclin1 and Bcl-2 in breast cancer tissues from patients positive for ki67 were significantly lower than those negative for ki67 (p < 0.05). The mRNA and protein expressions of Bax were different from those of Beclin1 and Bcl-2. In breast cancer tissues, the mRNA and protein expressions of Bax were up-regulated (p < 0.05); the lower the degree of tumor differentiation, the higher the mRNA and protein expressions of Bax (p < 0.05); the mRNA and protein expressions of Bax in breast cancer tissues from patients positive for lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than those negative for lymph node metastasis (p < 0.05); and the mRNA and protein expressions of Bax in breast cancer tissues from patients positive for distant metastasis were significantly higher than those in patients negative for distant metastasis (p < 0.05). However, the mRNA and protein expressions of these three genes were not correlated with patient age, tumor size, progesterone receptor positivity, or human epidermal growth factor positivity (p > 0.05). The correlation of Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA with Beclin1 mRNA expressed in breast cancer tissues were both statistically significant (p < 0.05). The activity change of autophagy and apoptosis is associated with the tumorigenesis and tumor progression of breast cancer. The joint detection of these three genes (Beclin1, Bcl-2, and Bax) contributes to the early diagnosis of and predicts prognosis for breast cancer, and this also provides an experimental basis for the biological therapy of breast cancer.