title: Galectin-3 as a marker and potential therapeutic target in breast cancer.
abstract: Galectin-3 has a relatively high level of expression in triple-negative breast cancers and is a potential marker for this disease. However, the clinical and prognostic implications of galectin-3 expression in breast cancer remain unclear. We examined mastectomy specimens from 1086 breast cancer cases and matching, adjacent non-cancerous tissues using immunohistochemistry. Overall, triple-negative breast cancers expressed galectin-3 more strongly than did other breast cancers types (63.59% vs 21.36%, P = 0.001). Galectin-3 expression was not found to be an independent prognostic factor for breast cancer by Cox regression analysis, but was associated with chemotherapeutic resistance. Apoptosis was only weakly induced by arsenic trioxide (ATO) treatment in galectin-3-positive breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7), although ATO treatment up-regulated galectin-3 expression. Knockdown of galectin-3 in MDA-MB-231 cells sensitized them to killing by ATO. These findings support a possible role for galectin-3 as a marker for triple-negative breast cancer progression and as a therapeutic target in combination with ATO treatment, although the mechanisms that underlie this synergy require further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Minna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic, Benxi Central Hospital, Benxi, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Huizi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Guanglei
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xinhan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Zuowei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Caigang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D000077237:Arsenic Trioxide; D001152:Arsenicals / Q000494:pharmacology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D010087:Oxides / Q000494:pharmacology; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D001152:Arsenicals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D037502:Galectin 3; D010087:Oxides; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D000077237:Arsenic Trioxide