Expression of E￣cadherin and its prognostic significance in triple negative breast carcinoma

HONG Chaoqun; ZHUANG Yixuan; CHEN Jiming; WU Xiao; ZHANG Fan

doi:10?3969/j?issn?2095￣3097?2015?02?003

Abstract：Objective To study the protein expression of E￣cadherin ( E￣cad) to understand its relationship with clinicopathological parameters and its influence on the prognosis of human triple negative breast carcinoma ( TNBC) . Methods We collected tumor tissues from 35 female patients with TNBC treated at the Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College from January 2002 to October 2008. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the protein expression of E￣cad in breast tumors,and the chi￣square test was used to study the relationship between the E￣cad expre￣ssion and clinicopathological parameters. The Kaplan￣Meier method and Cox regression model were conducted to study the influence of E￣cad on the prognosis of TNBC. Results E￣cad protein was ex￣pressed primarily in the cytomembrane. The low expression rate of E￣cad in 35 TNBC tumors was 51?4% (18/35). The chi￣square test revealed that the E￣cad expression was related to TNM stage ( P=0?009) and lymph node metastasis ( P=0?044) . The survival curves between the low protein isoaspartyl methyltransferase expression group and the high protein isoaspartyl methyltransferase ex￣pression group were significantly different ( Log￣rank P=0?014) . Cox regression model demonstrated that E￣cad ( hazard ratio 0?241,95% confidence interval 0?072—0?814,P=0?022) was the inde￣pendent prognostic factors for TNBC. Conclusion E￣cad plays an important role in the progression of breast cancer and could be a novel prognostic factor for TNBC.