ABSTRACT
Background: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the world and is the most epidemic cancer in women, with approximately 1.67 million cases. Metastasis of tumor cells to other organs is a major cause of the increasing trend of mortality in breast cancer. This study aims to analyze the expression of c-Met associated with metastasis to axillary lymph nodes in invasive breast cancer.Method: The research was conducted at the Laboratory of Anatomical Pathology of Hasanuddin University Hospital. Stratified sampling was performed from January 2014 - January 2019. Immunohistochemical staining technique was applied upon 66 collected samples, followed by evaluating the c-Met expression score in invasive breast cancer group with positive and negative lymph node status.Result: c-Met overexpression was found among the invasive breast cancer incidence with lymph node metastasis. Among 50 cases with c-Met overexpression (c-Met positive), 40 cases (80%) of invasive breast cancer with lymph node metastasis were identified, while 10 cases (20%) were found in invasive breast cancer without metastasis to lymph nodes. On 16 cases with negative c-Met, 3 cases (18.8%) were found in invasive breast cancer with lymph node metastasis, and 13 cases (81.3%) in invasive breast cancer without metastasis to the lymph nodes. The statistical test results indicated a significant correlation between c-Met expression scores and metastasis to axillary lymph nodes in invasive breast cancer (p <0.001).Conclusion: As one of biomarkers, c-Met overexpression plays a vital role in the treatment of patients with invasive breast cancer to predict patient outcomes and to determine modalities. It is possible to apply c-Met overexpression to investigate aggressiveness of metastatic tumor cells in the future.
ABSTRACT
ObjectiveThe number of positve axillary lymph nodes(ALNs) is one of the most important factors affecting prognosis of patients with breast cancer.The resected lymph nodes number( LNN)can affect the number of positive ALNs.In this study,we aim to evaluate the influence of LNN on the progonosis of breast cancer patients with positive ALNs.Methods449 breast cancer patients with positive ALNs who underwent total mastectomy and axillary dissection were divided into 2 groups:group A (LNN ＜ 10)and group B (LNN ≥ 10).The clinicopathological features of the 2 groups were compared.Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard method were respectively used to make univariate and multivariate survival analysis for disease-free survival (DFS).ResultsThe median follow-up was 43.59 months for group A and 41.34 months for group B.Group A had a significantly higher proportion of patients in pN1,with lymph node metastasis and adjuvant radiotherapy than group B.Univariate analysis showed pN stage,LNN,lymph nodes metastasis rate,HER-2,adjuvant chemotherapy regime and adjuvant radiotherapy were factors influencing DFS. Multivariate analysis showed that pN stage,LNN,lymph nodes metastasis rate,adjuvant chemotherapy regime and adjuvant radiotherapy were factors influencing DFS.We performed analysis stratified by adjuvant chemotherapy regime containing taxan and adjuvant radiotherapy.Stratified analysis showed patients with adjuvant chemotherapy regime containing taxus and adjuvant radiotherapy showed significantly higher DFS rate than those without taxus in adjuvant chemotherapy regime or without adjuvant radiotherapy in group A.However,the 2 different treatment regime had no difference in DFS rate for patients in group B.ConclusionsThe decrease of LNN may affect the diagnosis and therapeutic selection of breast cancer patients with positive ALNs.LNN is an inexpensive and easily available factor for predicting DFS of breast cancer patientswithpositiveALNs.Adjuvant chemotherapy regime containing taxus and adjuvant radiotherapy can improve DFS rate of patients with LNN ＜ 10.