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BRCA1 expression levels predict distant metastasis of sporadic breast cancers
Author(s) -
Seery Liam T.,
Knowlden Janice M.,
Gee Julia M.W.,
Robertson John F.R.,
Kenny Francis S.,
Ellis Ian O.,
Nicholson Robert I.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19990621)84:3<258::aid-ijc10>3.0.co;2-h
Subject(s) - breast cancer , metastasis , oncology , phenotype , distant metastasis , disease , cancer , medicine , cancer research , biology , gene expression , gene , pathology , genetics
The role of BRCA1 in progression of sporadic breast cancers has to date been equivocal, although preliminary studies on small numbers of samples have suggested an association between expression levels of this gene and acquisition of an invasive phenotype. We have further reasoned that loss of oestrogen receptor positivity may have a detrimental effect on BRCA1 expression. In order to test this hypothesis and extend earlier investigations we have applied a sensitive RT‐PCR procedure to determine the associations between BRCA1 expression and a variety of clinical parameters in a sample cohort derived from sporadic breast tumour specimens. We have established that BRCA1 and ER mRNA expression are closely associated ( p =0.013), indicating a possible functional relationship between these 2 genes. We have further identified an association between low levels of BRCA1 expression and acquisition of distant metastasis in sporadic disease ( p =0.019). In light of our findings, we suggest that suppression of BRCA1 has a role to play in progression of a significant fraction of sporadic breast cancers and may additionally prove to be a useful, novel, prognostic marker for this disease type. Int. J. Cancer (Pred. Oncol.) 84:258–262, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.