title: The Uncontrolled Sialylation is Related to Chemoresistant Metastatic Breast Cancer.
abstract: Among the scientific communities, there is a convergence of results supporting a direct relationship between dysregulated sialylation and poor prognosis in many human cancers. For this reason, we have retrospectively investigated 169 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast, coming from female patients aged between 31 and 76 years old. The whole series was subdivided into two prognostic groups: the first group consisted of 138 patients, who showed a post-treatment survival time more than 5 years, while the second group was made up by 31 patients, died within 5 years despite of chemotherapy. All the surgical specimens were fixed in 10 % neutral buffered formalin, paraffin embedded and, then, submitted to routinely haematoxylin/eosin staining and to a further histochemical (Alcian Blue, DDD-Fast Blue B, Mercury Orange), immunohistochemical (ST3GAL5 sialyltransferase, Ki67, c-erbB2, ER, PR) and chemico-elemental characterization. In the 31 cases of breast cancer belonging to the second group, an overexpression of sialomucins and sialyltransferases has been detected. Our results lead us to support that in aggressive chemoresistant breast cancers, the altered expression of sialic acid, due to an uncontrolled sialylation, creates an excessive negative charge on cell membranes, which stimulates repulsion between neoplastic cells and their subsequent access into the blood stream. This event implies an early metastatization and a rapid disease progression with fatal outcome. The early application of Alcian Blue stain on diagnostic biopsies of breast cancer is able to cheaply reveal the sialomucin accumulations, providing for the disease course.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Clinical Medicine and of Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Policlinico Hospital, I-41124, Modena, MO, Italy. emailmedical@gmail.com.|Provincial Health Care Services, Santa Maria del Carmine Hospital, Institute of Pathology, Rovereto, TN, Italy. emailmedical@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Roncati
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Clinical Medicine and of Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Policlinico Hospital, I-41124, Modena, MO, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barbolini
authors.affiliation: Institute of Science and Technology for Ceramics, National Research Council, Faenza, RA, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonietta Morena
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gatti
authors.affiliation: Provincial Health Care Services, Santa Maria del Carmine Hospital, Institute of Pathology, Rovereto, TN, Italy.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pusiol
authors.affiliation: Provincial Health Care Services, Santa Maria del Carmine Hospital, Institute of Pathology, Rovereto, TN, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Piscioli
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Clinical Medicine and of Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Policlinico Hospital, I-41124, Modena, MO, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maiorana
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D052116:Sialomucins / Q000378:metabolism; D012799:Sialyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D052116:Sialomucins; D012799:Sialyltransferases; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid
keywords: Alcian Blue; Breast cancer; DDD-Fast Blue B; Elemental microanalysis; Invasive ductal carcinoma; Mercury Orange; ST3GAL5 sialyltransferase; Sialic acid; Sialidase (neuraminidase); Sialomucins; Sulphur (S)