title: Strong correlation between N-cadherin and CD133 in breast cancer: role of both markers in metastatic events.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Epithelial mesenchymal transition is a major mechanism to explain metastatic events in breast cancer. Another important aspect is that cells with stem cell properties are able to become resistant against chemotherapeutics. Our main goal was to investigate the role of the EMT marker, N-cadherin, and of the stem cell marker, CD133, in breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The expressions of N-cadherin and CD133 were assessed by immunohistochemistry in 307 primary tumors from breast cancer patients and for 30 patients, in the related recurrences and/or metastases. We studied the correlation between both markers, their associations with known clinicopathological parameters and their role as predictive markers for survival time. Different expressions of both markers in primary tumor and recurrences or metastases were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  N-cadherin and CD133 expressions correlated positively in the 261 primary tumor samples (p = 0.000) and in the 45 primary tumor, recurrence or metastasis samples (p = 0.010). In patients without lymph node metastases, the 10-year survival time was significantly lower when the tumor was N-cadherin-positive (p = 0.042). Expression of N-cadherin was also significantly higher in metastases than in the related primary tumors (p = 0.039).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  N-cadherin and CD133 expressions are strongly correlated and N-cadherin appears as a potential metastases marker in a specific patient subpopulation.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Campus Innenstadt, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital, Maistraße 11, 80337, Munich, Germany, Carolin.Bock@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors: Carolin
authors: C
authors: Bock
authors: Christina
authors: C
authors: Kuhn
authors: Nina
authors: N
authors: Ditsch
authors: Regina
authors: R
authors: Krebold
authors: Sabine
authors: S
authors: Heublein
authors: Doris
authors: D
authors: Mayr
authors: Sophie
authors: S
authors: Doisneau-Sixou
authors: Udo
authors: U
authors: Jeschke
mesh_terms: D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D015703:Antigens, CD; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C050361:CDH2 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D006023:Glycoproteins; C000606023:PROM1 protein, human; D010455:Peptides