Research Of Expression Of E-Cadherin, Vimentin And Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Protein In Primery Breast Cancer And Their Correlation With Breast Cancer Metastasis

Background:Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. In recent years, its morbidity is on the rise year by year in the world, and approximately 90% of breast cancer deaths are caused by local invasion and distant metastasis of tumor cells. The most common mechanism of breast cancer metastasis is lymphatic spread, which is transport of tumor cells through the lymphatic circulation. Breast cancer freguently metastasize in this manner through axillary, clavicular, and thoracic lymph channels by initial-stage breast cancer metastasis. So the premise of improving the survival rates of the breast cancer are the early diagnosis and treatment. It is Now being accepted that cancer stem cells,and was a fundamental cause of tumor metastasis.The epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) is a process by which epithelial cells lose their cell polarity and cell-cell adhesion, and gain migratory and invasive properties to become mesenchymal stem cells. Tumor cells usurp this developmental program to execute the multi-step process of tumorigenesis and metastasis. Recently reported advances in breast cancer researches that have provided new insights in the molecular mechanisms underlying EMT regulation during breast cancer progression and metastasis.E-cadherin and vimentin protein are involved actively in epithelial to mesenchymaland mesencymal to epithelial transititions, which play a particularly important role in embryo development, tissue fibrosis, and cancer progression. E-cadherin downregulation decreases the strength of cellular adhesion within a tissue, resulting in an increase in cellular motility. E-cadherin is also used by pathologists to diagnose different kinds of breast cancer. When compared with invasive ductal carcinoma,E-cadherin expression is markedly reduced or absent in the great majority of invasive lobular carcinomaswhen studied by immunohistochemistry. Vimentin is a type III intermediate filament protein that is expressed in mesenchymal cells. High levels of DNA methylation in the promotor region have also been associated with markedly decreased survival in vimentin positive breast cancers. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1(ALDH1) is a marker of breast cancer stem cells, and the expression of ALDH1 may be a prognostic factor of poor clinical outcome. The EMT may produce cells with stem-cell-like properties promoted by transcription factors.Purpose:This study was to investigate the correlation between expression and the relationship between these three kinds of protein E-cadherin, vimentin and ALDH1, and clinicopathological characteristics in breast cancer.Methods:Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the ezpression of E-cadherin,vimentin and ALDH1 in 60 breast cancer tissues, and whether there is a correlation between and explore their relationship with clinicopathological characteristics.Results:1. E-cadherin is expressed in breast cancer metastasis group and non breast cancer metastasis group. E-cadherin low expression was observed in 30 non breast cancer metastasis group, but high expressed in 30 breast cancer metastasis group, and difference was statistically significant(p<0.05). The poorly differentiation of breast cancer had a significantly higher expression of E-cadherin(p<0.05).2. Vimentin is expressed in breast cancer metastasis group and non breast cancer metastasis group. Vimentin high expression was observed in 30 non breast cancermetastasis group, but low expressed in 30 breast cancer metastasis group, and difference was statistically significant(p<0.05). The well-differentiation of breast cancer had a significantly higher expression of vimentin(p<0.05).3. ALDH1 is expressed in breast cancer metastasis group and non breast cancer metastasis group. ALDH1 high expression was observed in 30 non breast cancer metastasis group, but low expressed in 30 breast cancer metastasis group, and difference was statistically significant(p<0.05). The well-differentiation of breast cancer had a significantly higher expression of ALDH1(p<0.05).4. The expression of E-cadherin had a negative correlation with the expressions of vimentin in breast cancer tissues, but ALDH1 expression had a positive correlation with the vimentin expression in histological classification of breast cancer tissues(P < 0.05).The expression of ALDH1 had a negative correlation with the expressions of E-cadherin in histological classification of breast cancer tissues(P < 0.05).Conclusion:1. The expression of E-cadherin had a negative correlation with the histological classification of breast cancer tissues, and expression of E-cadherin had a negative correlation with the axillary lymph node of breast cancer tissues. Vimentin expression had a positive correlation with the histological classification of breast cancer tissues,and Vimentin expression had a positive correlation with the axillary lymph node of breast cancer tissues. The expression of E-cadherin and Vimentin is an objective biologicaI marker for estimating the occurrence and progression of breast cancer.Combined detection of E-cadherin and vimentin may helps to judge the metastasis, TNM stage, and prognosis of breast cancer.2. ALDH1 is a marker of breast cancer stem cells. The expression of ALDH1 had a positive correlation with the histological classification of breast cancer tissues, and expression of ALDH1 had a positive correlation with the axillary lymph node of breast cancer tissues. ALDH1 expression had a positive correlation with the vimentin expression in histological classification of breast cancer tissues. The expression of ALDH1 had a negative correlation with the expressions of E-cadherin in histologicalclassification of breast cancer tissues. The co-expression of E-cadherin, vimentin and ALDH1 may be related to evaluation breast cancer stem cell and tumor metastasis of research.3. These results suggest that E-cadherin and vimentin expression level would be a useful prognosis and may be a novel therapeutic target for breast cancer. In this study,the different expression of E-cadherin and vimentin indicates that EMT is involved in breast cancer metastasis. And what kind of role do cancer stem cells play in tumor metastasis related research remains to be further exploration.