Prognostic significance of Akt, phospho-Akt and BAD expression in primary breast cancer

Apoptotic markers in breast cancer are reported to have prognostic significance. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of Akt, phospho-Akt and BAD expression in primary tumours from breast cancer patients. Expression of phospho-Akt did not correlate with menopausal status, nodal involvement or tumour size, although there was a significant correlation between phospho-Akt and oestrogen receptor status and tumour grade. No association was found between phospho-Akt and BAD. However, a significant correlation was found between Akt and BAD. Akt and phospho-Akt expression did not correlate with either disease-free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS). Conversely, BAD immunostaining correlated significantly with increasing tumour size and with oestrogen receptor (ER) immunostaining in both frozen and paraffin sections. Expression of BAD appeared to be nucleolar in addition to its cytoplasmic and nuclear staining. Comparison of immunohistochemical staining on frozen sections and paraffin sections showed a reasonable concordance in Akt and BAD immunoreactivity. However, the results showed for the first time that strong BAD expression is related to a favourable prognosis but is not an independent prognostic factor. In conclusion, these results could provide the basis for understanding how Akt, phospho-Akt and BAD expression contributes to the prognosis of invasive breast cancer.