PTEN and p۵۳ Gene Expressions in Breast Cancer Specimens and their Clinicopathological Significance

Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer. Discovering molecular biomarkers is necessary for disease management that includes prognosis prediction and preventive treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression value of p۵۳ and PTEN as molecular biomarkers of breast cancer and their relation with clinicopathological characteristics.Methods: In this study, ۱۰۰ breast cancer and ۲۰ normal samples were subjected to investigation. Total RNA was isolated and we measured RNA expression by realtime RT-PCR. Data were analyzed by REST ۲۰۰۹ and SPSS.Results: Gene expression results showed up-regulation of P۵۳ in ۵۳ breast cancer subjects and PTEN in ۵۲ breast cancer subjects compared with normal controls. However, there was lower P۵۳ expression in ۲۵ breast cancer samples compared to normal tissues. PTEN expression was lower in ۲۶ breast cancer samples than normal tissues. p۵۳ showed a significant relationship to HER۲ receptor (P=۰.۰۲۴) and menopausal status (P=۰.۰۱۳); no significant relationships existed with other clinicopathological parameters (P>۰.۰۵). PTEN had the only significant correlation with lymphatic invasion (P=۰.۰۴۶) without any relation with other clinicopathological features (P>۰.۰۵). PTEN expression had no significant association with p۵۳ expression in the studied population (P=۰.۰۷۴).Conclusion: Combined detection of PTEN and p۵۳ may have the potential to estimate the pathobiological behavior and prognosis of breast cancer. Due to the heterogeneous nature of cancer and the presence of different factors involved in the clinical situation of breast cancer, we suggest a study of a larger population and more biomarkers.