title: PKCα and ERβ Are Associated with Triple-Negative Breast Cancers in African American and Caucasian Patients.
abstract: Although the incidence of breast cancer in the United States is higher in Caucasian women compared with African American women, African-American patients have more aggressive disease as characterized by a higher percentage of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs), high-grade tumors, and a higher mortality rate. PKCα is a biomarker associated with endocrine resistance and poor prognosis and ERβ is emerging as a protective biomarker. Immunohistochemical analysis of ERβ and PKCα expression was performed on 198 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded primary infiltrating ductal carcinomas from 105 African-American and 93 Caucasian patients. PKCα is positively correlated with TNBC in patients of both races and with high tumor grade in African-American patients. Patients with TNBC express less nuclear ERβ compared with all other subtypes. We find no difference in frequency or intensity of PKCα or ERβ expression between African-American and Caucasian patients. PKCα and ERβ are discussed as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of patients with TNBC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 833 S. Wood Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Debra A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Tonetti
authors.forename: Weihua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Escarzaga
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.forename: April
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szafran
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Coon