Abstract:

Objective   To investigate the expressions of β-catenin in 1different subtypes of breast cancer and its clinical significance. Methods   β-catenin expression was detected in 38 cases of triple negative breast cancer(TNBC)、 131 cases of non-TNBC and 10 cases of normal breast tissues by using tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry. Results   β-catenin protein was only observed on the cytomembrane of normal breast tissues；However, β-catenin protein was not only observed on the cytomembrane of breast cancer tissues, but also in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Abnomal β-catenin expression was higher in TNBC cases(78.9％) than that in non-TNBC cases(60.3％)(P<0.05). An association was identified between abnormal β-catenin expression and lymph node metastasis, histological grade, TNM stage, Ki67-positive and prognosis(P<0.05). Conclusion   β-catenin may play an important role in breast cancer tumorigenesis and progress, and it could be used as a new indicator for the biological behavior、prognosis and targeted therapy in breast cancer hopefully.

Key words: β-catenin; Breast tumor; Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway; Clinicopathologic features; Prognosis