title: Progranulin as a prognostic biomarker for breast cancer recurrence in patients who had hormone receptor-positive tumors: a cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Progranulin (PGRN) is considered to play an important role in breast cancer tumorigenesis and in inhibiting tamoxifen-induced apoptosis. We aimed to determine whether PGRN levels are associated with breast cancer recurrence after curative surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We evaluated the associations between preoperative serum PGRN levels and breast cancer recurrence in a cohort of 697 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients who underwent curative surgery between April 2001 and December 2004. The mean age ± standard deviation (SD) was 46 ± 9.8 years, and all patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive tumors received adjuvant tamoxifen therapy. At a median follow-up of 62.2 months (range, 2.9-98.2), 89 patients (12.8%) had experienced a recurrence and 51 patients (7.3%) had died. In the HR-positive group, serum PGRN levels were associated with recurrence according to the log-rank test for trend (p for trend = 0.049). There was no association between PGRN levels and recurrence in the HR-negative group (p for trend = 0.658). Adjusted hazard ratios, including possible confounders, revealed a linear relationship between serum PGRN levels and recurrence in the HR-positive group (p for trend = 0.049), and this association was further strengthened after excluding patients who had no lymph node metastasis (p for trend = 0.038).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum PGRN levels were clinically significant for predicting recurrence in patients with HR-positive breast cancer during adjuvant tamoxifen therapy.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Dong Hoe
authors: DH
authors: Koo
authors: Cheol-Young
authors: CY
authors: Park
authors: Eun Sook
authors: ES
authors: Lee
authors: Jungsil
authors: J
authors: Ro
authors: Sang Woo
authors: SW
authors: Oh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D000077153:Progranulins; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C492314:GRN protein, human; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D000077153:Progranulins; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone