Open AccessGATA4 immunolocalization in breast carcinoma as a potent prognostic predictor
Author(s) -
Takagi Kiyoshi,
Moriguchi Takashi,
Miki Yasuhiro,
Nakamura Yasuhiro,
Watanabe Mika,
Ishida Takanori,
Yamamoto Masayuki,
Sasano Hironobu,
Suzuki Takashi
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
cancer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 1347-9032
DOI - 10.1111/cas.12382
Subject(s) - breast carcinoma , medicine , oncology , carcinoma , cancer research , pathology , breast cancer , cancer
Transcriptional GATA factors are known lineage selector genes and regulate a variety of biological processes including specification and differentiation of tissues. In the present study, we examined expression profiles of six GATA factor genes in invasive ductal carcinomas ( IDC ) of the breast using microarray analysis ( n = 20) and found that GATA 4 expression was closely correlated with recurrence in patients. Because the significance of GATA 4 has remained largely unknown in breast carcinoma, we further immunolocalized GATA 4 in ductal carcinoma in situ ( DCIS ) of the breast ( n = 48) and IDC ( n = 163). GATA 4 immunoreactivity was detected in the nuclei of carcinoma cells and was positive in 27% of DCIS and 31% of IDC cases. GATA 4 status was significantly associated with nuclear grade and van Nuys classification in DCIS and was positively associated with distant metastasis, histological grade and HER 2 status, but negatively correlated with progesterone receptor labeling index in IDC . Subsequent multivariate analysis demonstrated that GATA 4 status was an independent prognostic factor for both disease‐free and breast cancer‐specific survival of IDC patients. All of these results indicate that GATA 4 plays important roles in the progression of breast carcinoma from an early stage and that immunohistochemical GATA 4 status is considered a potent prognostic factor in human breast cancer patients.