title: Lack of prognostic significance of adiponectin immunohistochemical expression in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) - which lack the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) - have no established markers that can be used for prognostic stratification. As adiponectin has been previously implicated in a more aggressive phenotype of primary breast cancer, we explored the relation between adiponectin immunohistochemical expression and prognosis in TNBCs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemical staining for adiponectin was performed in 38 TNBC patients. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) served as the main outcome measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 38 TNBC patients, 18 (47%) had negative and 20 (53%) positive adiponectin immunohistochemical expression. We did not find any significant association between adiponectin immunohistochemical expression and the baseline characteristics. In addition, there were no associations between adiponectin immunohistochemical expression and prognosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although our results suggest that adiponectin immunohistochemical expression is not of prognostic significance in TNBCs, further studies are warranted to determine the role of this adipokine in breast cancer biology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Uludag University Medical School, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erdem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cubukcu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Uludag University Medical School, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Omer Fatih
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Olmez
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Uludag University Medical School, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozkan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kanat
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Uludag University Medical School, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Selva
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kabul
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Uludag University Medical School, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Canhoroz
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Uludag University Medical School, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nilufer
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Avci
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Uludag University Medical School, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hartavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Uludag University Medical School, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Adem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deligonul
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Uludag University Medical School, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sinem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cubukçu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Uludag University Medical School, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Manavoglu
keywords: adiponectin; immunohistochemistry; prognosis; triple-negative breast cancer