Evaluation of MMP-13 and Micro RNA-138 as Prognostic Biomarkers for Breast Cancer in Egyptian women patients

Abstract

BackgroundElevated serum levels of MMP-13 are linked to tumor growth and metastasis, while miR-138 dysregulation is observed in breast cancer cases. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression miR-138 and MMP-13 levels as potential biomarkers for prognosis of breast cancer. Patients and MethodIn this retrospective case-control study 119 female subjects were recruited and divided into three groups. MMP-13 level was measured using Enzyme linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), while real time PCR technique was employed to quantify miR-138 expression. ResultsBoth non-metastatic and metastatic groups showed a significant higher levels of serum MMP-13 compared to other groups. MMP-13 levels are significantly increased among patients with advanced tumor size, lymph node metastasis and triple-negative breast cancer cases. An inverse significant association between MMP-13 levels and response to treatment was observed. Expression of miR-138 underwent significant down-regulation in breast cancer patients, strong statistically significant association was established between miR-138 expression and triple-negative breast cancer cases. A positive association between the increase in miR-138 expression and good response to treatment. The expression of miR-138 was inversely coined with the MMP-13 levels. ConclusionMMP-13 levels were significantly higher in breast cancer, especially in advanced cases, suggesting its role in promoting tumor invasion and metastasis. MiR-138 was down-regulated in breast cancer, especially in triple-negative breast cancer patients, rendering it a promising biomarker for triple-negative breast cancer. Modulation of miR-138 expression and MMP-13 levels may represent therapeutic targets for breast cancer.