[NDRG1 protein expression in breast cancer samples, relationship with lymph nodes metastasis]

To study the features of protein expression of gene NDRG1 in primary breast cancer (BC) and to identify its relationship with regional metastasis.

The study included 358 cases of primary BC stages I-III without neoadjuvant chemotherapy with an assessment of a number of clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical parameters of the tumor, including NDRG1 protein expression status and its expression level.

In two study groups with and without metastatic lymph node involvement, a statistically significant relationship was found between NDRG1 expression and histological type of BC, tumor grade, estrogen receptors expression, progesterone receptors expression, HER2 status and index Ki-67 (tumor cell proliferative activity). No statistically significant relationship was found between NDRG1 expression and patient age, tumor node size, and multifocality in two study groups with and without metastatic lymph node involvement.

NDRG1 protein expression is statistically significantly associated with regional metastasis of breast cancer (p=0.015). The differences were due to a higher frequency of cases with NDRG1 positive versus negative status in the group of breast cancer with lymph node metastases.