Prognostic significance of Wilms Tumor 1 (WT1) protein expression in breast cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women all over the world. Since the clinical outcome of breast cancer may differ among some women who have the same clinicopathological stage, researchers focused on additional prognostic parameters to predict the tumor behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of Wilms Tumor 1 (WT1) expression in tumor tissues and to compare it with known prognostic variables in patients with breast cancer. In patients with breast cancer, we investigated the relationship between (WT1) protein expression in tumor and surrounding tissues and prognostic variables including age, pathologic type, axillary node involvement, estrogen receptor (ER) status, menopausal status, stage (TNM), tumor grade and treatment. Borderline significance was detected between WT1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) staining and premenopausal state (p=0.051). Additionally, surrounding tissue staining showed significant correlations with grade (p=0.045), stage (p=0.026), lymph node status (p=0.026), and axillary involvement (p=0.02), respectively. No correlation was demonstrated between relapse free survival, relapse sites and WT1 mAb staining of tumor and surrounding tissues (p=0.36). WT1 mAb staining was demonstrated in human breast cancer tissues, and in this study we have used monoclonal antibody against WT1 on paraffin-embedded tissue samples. The results indicate that WT1 expression by tumor is more evident in premenopausal state rather than postmenopausal period. To confirm the results, we need large scale studies on WT1 expression in breast cancer.