[Expression of CK5/6 and CK17 and its correlation with prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer patients].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlation of CK5/6 and CK17 expression with clinical outcome in patients with triple-negative [ER(-), PR(-), Her-2(-)] breast cancer.


METHODS
112 patients with breast cancer treated by surgery between 2000 and 2002 were included in this study. All cases were immunohistochemically proven to be triple-negative. Samples of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded surgical specimens were obtained for immunohistological examination for CK5/6 and CK17 expression. The correlation of the gene expression with clinicopathological features and outcome of the patients was analyzed.


RESULTS
Of the 112 triple-negative patients, five-year disease-free survival rate was 73.2% (82/112). The positive rate of both CK5/6 and CK17 was 21.4% (24/112), either CK5/6 or CK17 positive was 46.4% (52/112). It was shown by Kaplan-Meier curve that positive CK5/6, CK17 or CKs (CK5/6 or CK17 positive) was correlated with poor five-year disease-free survival (P = 0.020, P = 0.032, P = 0.003); and positive staining of CK5/6 or CKs was correlated with poor five-year overall survival (P = 0.027, P = 0.015). Of the 91 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma, a correlation of CK5/6 or CK17 positive staining with high grade differentiation was observed (P = 0.030), and with axillary lymph node metastasis was also noticed (P = 0.044). Multivariate analysis by Cox regression showed that differentiation grade, pathological stage and expression of CK5/6 were factors affecting both the disease-free-survival and overall-survival, while menopausal status was an independent factor affecting the disease-free-survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Positive expression of CK5/6 or CK17 in patients with triple-negative breast cancer is correlated with poor prognosis, high grade differentiation and axillary lymph node metastasis.
Liu
Zhe-bin
ZB
Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Wu
Jiong
J
Ping
Bo
B
Feng
Li-qing
LQ
Shen
Zhen-zhou
ZZ
Shao
Zhi-min
ZM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D053537:Keratin-17 / Q000378:metabolism*; D053555:Keratin-5 / Q000378:metabolism*; D053553:Keratin-6 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis; D015996:Survival Rate
D053537:Keratin-17; D053555:Keratin-5; D053553:Keratin-6; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone