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GLUT-1 Expression in Breast Cancer
Oguzhan Okcu1, Bayram Sen, Cigdem Ozturk
1Department of Pathology, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University Training and Research Hospital, RIZE, TURKEY.
Objective:
Numerous studies have been conducted to predict the prognosis of breast cancers. The effect of glucose transporter protein 1 (GLUT-1), the main carrier protein responsible for glucose transport, was investigated in breast cancer patients.
Material And Method:
170 patients operated for breast carcinoma were included in this study. We analysed the prognostic significance of GLUT-1 immune-expression in 149 patients without neoadjuvant therapy, and in 21 patients with neoadjuvant therapy.
Results:
GLUT-1 expression was correlated with poor prognostic factors such as estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor negativity, high Ki-67 proliferation index, and high histological and nuclear grade (p < 0.001). GLUT-1 was expressed at a statistically higher rate in invasive ductal carcinomas, compared to invasive lobular carcinomas (p < 0.001), and was expressed at a higher rate in luminal B, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and triple-negative molecular subtypes compared to luminal A subtype tumors (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between GLUT-1 expression and presence of neoadjuvant therapy. Univariate survival analysis showed high GLUT1 expression was associated with low disease-free survival.
Conclusion:
GLUT-1 expression was found to be associated with poor pathological prognostic factors in breast carcinoma patients. The results suggest that GLUT-1 expression can be considered as a prognostic marker in breast cancers, and it may be used as a target molecule in personalized treatment approaches.
