Clinical role of ABCF2 expression in breast cancer.
BACKGROUND
The ATP binding cassette (ABC) family acts as efflux pumps and some members are related to chemoresistance in breast cancer. The clinical role of ABCF2 expression, a member of the ABC family, was analyzed.


METHODS
One hundred and ninety-one patients with breast cancer were enrolled. The median follow-up term was 76 months. ABCF2 expression was examined by immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
Ninety percent of the breast cancer cases displayed immunoreactivity for ABCF2. The positive rate of ABCF2 expression was 63%. ABCF2 had a negative relationship to distant metastasis. ABCF2-positive tumors had longer disease-free survival (DFS) than -negative tumors in patients with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.001). In patients treated with endocrine therapy, ABCF2-positive tumors had a longer DFS when the tumors were estrogen receptor-negative or progesterone receptor-negative (p = 0.0019 and 0.005, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
ABCF2 was initially thought to be related to drug resistance. ABCF2 may play a role in tumor suppression at metastatic sites and in the endocrine pathway for breast cancer.
Ogawa
Yoshinari
Y
Department of Surgery, Osaka City General Hospital, 2-13-22 Miyakojima-hondori, Miyakojima-ku, Osaka 534-0021, Japan.
Tsuda
Hiroshi
H
Hai
Eishu
E
Tsuji
Nozomi
N
Yamagata
Shigeto
S
Tokunaga
Shinya
S
Nakazawa
Kazunori
K
Tamamori
Yutaka
Y
Ogawa
Masao
M
Shimizu
Sadatoshi
S
Inoue
Takeshi
T
Nishiguchi
Yukio
Y
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012189:Retrospective Studies
C507640:ABCF2 protein, human; D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor