Expression of E cadherin and Ki 67: Emerging Prognostic Markers in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subgroup of breast cancer which lacks effective target therapy. Expression of biomarkers is one of the important deciding factors for treatment strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate expression of E cadherin and Ki 67 in relation to clinicopathological features. This prospective observational study included 141 cases of TNBC. Immunohistochemical staining was employed to analyze two biomarkers: E cadherin and Ki 67 on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples obtained from patients defined as TNBC. The age of the patients ranged from 26 to 84 years. Positive lymph nodes were found in 82 (58.1%). The tumor was grade 3 in 105 (74.4%). The E cadherin receptor was positive in 83 (58.8%). The Ki Index was > 10% in 89 (63.12%). The Ki 67 expression was significantly associated with a high nuclear grade (p = 0.000). The significant association noted between loss of E cadherin expression and positive lymph node (p = 0.0296). According to the results, TNBCs are frequently associated with the younger age groups, and the majority is poorly differentiated. The majorities of these have high expression of the Ki 67 and significantly associated with the higher nuclear grade. Loss of E cadherin was significantly associated with positive lymph nodes. Hence, evaluating the expression of E cadherin and Ki 67 routinely would be helpful for evaluating prognostic implications.

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