title: The expression of fascin, an actin-bundling motility protein, correlates with hormone receptor-negative breast cancer and a more aggressive clinical course.
abstract: The invasion and metastasis of tumor cells is a major cause of mortality in cancer patients. In the current study, we investigated the expression of fascin, an actin-bundling motility-associated protein, in 210 invasive breast carcinomas with corresponding 5-year clinical follow-up. Fascin expression was compared with hormone receptor (ER/PR) status, HER2 status, cancer grade, cancer stage, metastasis pattern, disease-free survival, and overall survival. Fascin expression was seen in 16% (33/210) of the cases and correlated with ER negativity (22/33, P < 0.001), PR negativity (21/33, P < 0.001), Bloom-Richardson grade 3 (19/29, P < 0.001), and advanced stage (stage 3 or 4, P = 0.04). There was no correlation between fascin expression and HER2 status or pattern of metastases. Patients whose tumors were positive for fascin showed both a decreased mean disease-free survival (74.44 versus 100.52 months, P = 0.002) and mean overall survival (77.58 versus 98.98 months, P = 0.002), independent of tumor stage and HER2 status, but not independent of ER/PR status or cancer grade. Given fascin's role in altering cell motility, overexpression may contribute to a more aggressive clinical course in ER/PR-negative breast cancers. If so, then fascin may represent a new molecular target for therapeutic intervention in patients with ER-negative breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomic Pathology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Yoder
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tso
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skacel
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pettay
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tarr
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Budd
authors.forename: Raymond R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Tubbs
authors.forename: Josephine C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Hicks
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D002465:Cell Movement; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D012008:Recurrence; D013997:Time Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; C020324:fascin