An investigation of the relationship between matriptase-2 protein expression and histopathological data in breast cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females. Therefore, early recognition of the disease is essential. Matriptase-2, a member of the Type II Transmembrane Serine Proteases (TTSP) family, plays a role in various types of cancer (breast, prostate, etc.). The matriptase-2 level is thought to be related to patients’ prognosis. This study used the tumor and the normal breast tissue samples from 21 female patients with breast cancer. The levels of matriptase-2 protein expression in the tumor and the normal tissues of the breast cancer patients and examined the relation with histopathological findings were analyzed. The matriptase-2 protein expression levels was determined using the Western Blot method. The matriptase-2 protein expression levels in the tumor tissues were significantly lower than in the normal tissues (p = 0,012). The matriptase-2 protein expression levels in the normal tissues of patients with nuclear grades I/II, histological grades I/II, clinical stages III/IV, presence of lymph nodes, and microcalcification were statistically significantly higher than the matriptase-2 protein expression levels tumor tissues (p = 0,0001 for all). The results of our study are in line with findings in the literature showing that the increase in matriptase-2 level is associated with a good prognosis. Decrease in the level of the matriptase-2 protein in the tumor tissues and the relationship of this decrease with poor prognosis suggests that matriptase-2 may play a role in limiting the development of breast tumors by the mobile and invasive nature of breast cancer cells. The matriptase-2 level may have a prognostic value in breast cancer patients.