Expression of SOX10 and GATA3 in breast cancer and their significance

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the expression characteristics of SOX10 and GATA3 in breast cancer and the value of their combination. Methods: A total of 360 breast cancer specimens with SOX10 immunohistochemical staining were collected from the Department of Pathology in Shenzhen People's Hospital from 2018 to 2021, including 268 cases with simultaneous SOX10 and GATA3 staining. The expression of SOX10 and GATA3 in primary and metastatic breast cancer was detected, and the correlations between SOX10 and GATA3 and the molecular types and clinicopathological features of breast cancer were compared, and the distribution differences among each group were statistically analyzed. Results: The overall expression of SOX10 and GATA3 in breast cancer were 25.8%(93/360) and 81.7%(219/268), and that in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) were 83.3%(80/96) and 42.7%(32/75), respectively. SOX10 was strongly associated with TNBC (P<0.001), whereas GATA3 was highly expressed in luminal A, luminal B and HER2 over expression breast cancers (P<0.001). The expression of SOX10 and GATA3 was negatively correlated in TNBC, and the combined expression rates of SOX10 and GATA3 in breast cancer and TNBC could reach 97.8% (262/268) and 94.7%(71/75), respectively. In addition, the expression of SOX10 was closely correlated with high histological grade, high Ki-67 proliferation index and lymph node metastasis, and negatively correlated with AR. The expression of GATA3 was correlated with low histological grade and lymph node metastasis, and positively correlated with AR, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusions: SOX10 is a sensitive marker of TNBC, while GATA3 is highly expressed in non-triple negative breast cancer. The two complementary, combined application of SOX10-GATA3 can improve the detection rate of breast cancer, especially TNBC. SOX10 is associated with malignant characteristics of the tumor, suggesting that SOX10 can be used as a prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.