C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 5 (CCL5) as a Predictive Marker for Non-sentinel Lymph Node Presence in Initial-Stage...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biotechnology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Accurate prediction of non-sentinel lymph node (NSLN) status is crucial for breast cancer treatment.
• Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is standard, but further assessment is often needed.
• C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) is implicated in tumor progression and metastasis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To utilize quantum dots (QDs) for visualizing and quantifying CCL5 in sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) and primary tumors.
• To evaluate the predictive value of SLN CCL5 for NSLN metastasis in breast cancer patients.
• To enhance treatment decision-making by improving NSLN status prediction.

Main Methods:

• Quantum dot technology was employed for fluorescence-based detection of CCL5 in tissue samples.
• Analysis included 84 breast cancer patients with positive SLNs undergoing axillary lymph node dissection.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to assess predictive value.

Main Results:

• Distinct orange-red fluorescence indicating CCL5 presence was observed in primary tumors and positive SLN tissues.
• Higher SLN CCL5 levels showed a significant correlation with advanced tumor growth (P < 0.05).
• The ROC analysis yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.745 for predicting NSLN status, with a cutoff of 23.285.

Conclusions:

• CCL5 detected by quantum dots in SLNs is a significant predictor of NSLN metastasis in specific breast cancer cases.
• Tumor size and SLN CCL5 levels are independent predictors of NSLN status.
• This QD-based CCL5 detection offers a promising biomarker for refining breast cancer staging and guiding treatment strategies.