Apoptotic activity in Libyan breast cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pathology

Background:

• Breast cancer (BC) prognosis varies globally.
• Understanding clinicopathological correlations is crucial for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the relationship between apoptotic activity index (AI) and standardized mitotic-apoptotic ratio (SMI/AI) with clinicopathological features and prognosis in Libyan female breast cancer (BC) patients.
• To compare these findings with data from Finnish and Nigerian BC patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 130 breast carcinoma histological samples.
• Estimation of apoptotic activity index (AI) and standardized mitotic-apoptotic ratio (SMI/AI).
• Comparison of AI and SMI/AI with clinicopathological features and patient survival.

Main Results:

• AI significantly correlated with lymph node status, histological grade, tumor size, and clinical stage.
• Prominent differences in AI were observed between Libyan, Nigerian, and Finnish populations.
• High AI values were associated with shorter survival times, identifying aggressive tumors.

Conclusions:

• Differences in AI among populations may relate to genetic marker distribution.
• AI can serve as a prognostic criterion for Libyan BC patients, with proposed cutoffs for prognosis stratification.
• Healthcare improvements and screening programs are recommended for the Libyan population.