Correlated expression of Fas, NF-κB, and VEGF-C in infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast

Objective: To investigate the expressions of Fas, NF-kappa B, and vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) in infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast and provide scientific basis for early diagnosis and prognosis of breast cancer. Materials and Methods: The immunohistochemical technique (SP method) was used to detect expression of Fas, NF-kappa B, and VEGF-C in 137 cases of breast-infiltrating ductal carcinoma, 17 cases of intraductal carcinoma of the breast, and 20 cases of normal breast tissues, and analyze its relationship with clinicopathologic factors of breast cancer and patients' survival rate, as well as the correlation among their expression, clinicopathologic factors, and survival rate. Results: Fas expression was less commonly detected in infiltrating ductal carcinoma than in intraductal carcinoma and normal tissue. In contrast, both NF-kappa B and VEGF-C were more commonly detected in infiltrating ductal carcinoma than in intraductal carcinoma and normal tissue. Fas expression was correlated with tumor size, histological grade, and clinicopathological stage; NF-kappa B expression was correlated with tumor size, histological grade, lymph node metastasis; VEGF-C expression was correlated with lymph node metastasis and clinical and pathological stages of breast cancer (p <= 0.05). Spearman rank correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between Fas expression and both NF-kappa B and VEGF-C expression in infiltrating breast cancer (p < 0.05) Additionally, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that five-year survival was higher for patients with Fas-positive samples but lower for those with VEGF-C-positive samples. Conclusions: The present results demonstrate that Fas and NF- B play a role in the initiation and development of breast cancer, while VEGF-C appears to promote lymph node metastasis. Thus, these proteins may serve as useful diagnostic and prognostic markers of invasive breast cancer.

Breast-infiltrating ductal carcinoma; Fas; NF-κB; VEGF-C; Immunohistochemistry

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