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Published on: April 29, 2014
[Correlation of miR-155 on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissues with invasiveness and prognosis of breast cancer]
Chuan-gui Song1, Xue-ying Wu, Fang-meng Fu
1Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Union Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001, China. songchuangui@yahoo.com
Objective:
To investigate the potential use of miR-155 as novel breast cancer biomarker.
Methods:
There were 88 breast cancer patients underwent modified mastectomy and had detailed clinical follow-up information. Extracting RNA from the formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) samples, miR-155 levels were quantified by real-time-PCR. miR-155 levels among clinico-pathological variables were accessed by Mann Whitney-U test. Overall survival curve was derived from Kaplan-Meier estimates and the curve was compared by Log-rank test. Cox regression analysis was used for multivariate analysis. All statistical tests were two-sided.
Results:
Significantly higher miR-155 level was found in tumor tissue compared to paired normal tissue (t = 6.75, P = 0.000). A potential relationship between miR-155 levels and existing clinico-pathological parameters of breast cancer, such as menstrual status, tumor size, nodal involvement, stage of disease, hormone receptor status, HER-2 status, histological grade or tumor subtype was investigated. Up-regulated miR-155 level was observed in breast cancer with lymph node metastasis, pT3+4, advanced TNM stage, HER-2 positive and with vascular invasion (Z = -6.320 to -2.041, P = 0.000 to 0.041). When considering 2(-ΔCt) = 4.87 (median level) as cut-off value, patients with miR-155 up-regulation showed a positive association towards a shorter overall survival (χ(2) = 6.396, P = 0.011). In Cox multivariate analysis, miR-155 expression on FFPE was shown an inverse trend for outcomes of breast cancer (HR = 1.58, 95%CI: 0.87 - 3.16, P = 0.082).
Conclusions:
miR-155, as an oncomir, promotes lymph node involvement and vascular invasion and accompanies over-expressed HER-2 on breast cancer FFPE tissue. It suggests that miR-155 could predict the invasiveness.
Insights
MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) is elevated in breast cancer tissues and associated with lymph node metastasis and HER-2 positivity. Higher miR-155 levels correlate with shorter overall survival, suggesting its role in predicting breast cancer invasiveness.
Area of Science:
- Molecular oncology
- Biomarker discovery
- Cancer genomics
Context:
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in gene regulation and are implicated in various cancers.
- miR-155 is a known oncomiR with established roles in immune regulation and tumorigenesis.
- Accurate biomarkers are needed for early detection and prognosis of breast cancer.
Purpose:
- To investigate the potential of miR-155 as a novel biomarker for breast cancer.
- To correlate miR-155 expression levels with clinico-pathological variables and patient survival.
- To evaluate miR-155's utility in predicting breast cancer invasiveness.
Summary:
- Significantly higher miR-155 levels were detected in breast cancer tumor tissues compared to normal tissues.
- Elevated miR-155 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis, advanced TNM stage, HER-2 positivity, and vascular invasion.
- Patients with high miR-155 levels exhibited a trend towards shorter overall survival, though not statistically significant in multivariate analysis.
Impact:
- miR-155 may serve as a valuable biomarker for assessing breast cancer invasiveness and predicting patient outcomes.
- The findings highlight miR-155's role in promoting key features of aggressive breast cancer, including lymph node involvement and HER-2 over-expression.
- Further research could explore therapeutic strategies targeting miR-155 to improve breast cancer treatment.
