Significance of soluble endothelial molecule E-selectin in patients with breast cancer

Increasing evidence suggests that endothelial cells are involved in tumor growth and metastasis. E-selectin, an adhesion molecule specifically expressed or secreted by activated endothelial cells, may enhance tumor angiogenesis and the adhesion of tumor cells to endothelial cells at distant sites. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between concentrations of circulating soluble E-selectin and clinical, pathological and biological features in patients with breast cancer (BC). sE-selectin concentrations were analyzed by an ELISA method in sera from 113 patients with metastatic BC, 30 patients with primary inflammatory BC, 105 patients with primary non-inflammatory BC, 456 patients with node-negative BC, and 42 healthy controls. sE-selectin in the metastatic BC group was significantly higher than in the healthy control group. In metastatic BC, sE-selectin was significantly higher in patients with liver metastases than in patients without liver metastases. In patients with primary non-inflammatory BC, a negative correlation was found between sE-selectin concentrations and tumoral microvessel count. In overall and disease-free survival studies performed in the node-negative population (median follow-up duration 7.5 years), multivariate analyses demonstrated a prognostic value of sE-selectin and tumor size. This study suggests that endothelial activation might play a role in the development of BC. This role seems not to be related to angiogenesis.