TITLE:
How Does the Cortactin Gene Expression Affect Breast Cancer among Iranian Females?
AUTHORS:
Tutunchi Sara, Saffari Mojtaba, Mazaheri Mahta, Nourmohammadi Parisa, Nourmohammadi Bahareh, Shirkoohi Reza, Ghasemi Nasrin
KEYWORDS:
Breast Cancer, Iranian Female, Cortactin Gene Expression, Lymph Nodes’
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Breast Cancer Research,
Vol.5 No.4,
September
12,
2016
ABSTRACT: Introduction:
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the Iranian female population, and
the incidence of the disease is rising. Early detection in association with
staging or grading the tumor is the most effective method to increase survival
rates. Studies have revealed that cortactin overexpression may play a role in
the final stages of tumor progression and affects invasion and cellular
motility. The aim of this study is
to evaluate cortactin gene expression among Iranian female patients with breast cancer. Materials
and Methods: Samples belonging to 70 breast cancer patients were randomly
selected from the Imam Khomeini tumor bank. Normal and tumor tissues were prepared
and stored at -80°C. Cortactin gene expression was evaluated by real-time PCR.
Finally the data, along with demographic and clinical parameters, were analyzed
using Prism 5.0 software, followed by t-test and ANOVA analysis. Results:
Cortactin gene expression among tumor tissues increased 95.71% in comparison
with normal tissues. A significant correlation between cortactin gene
expression and lymph nodes’ involvement (P = 0.0077)
and tumor stage (P = 0.0030) was observed. However, tumor grade (P = 0.8598), tumor size (P = 0.3058),
and patient’s age (P = 0.4135) had no significant correlation with the gene’s
expression level. Discussion: This study demonstrated that the cortactin gene’s
overexpression in breast cancer may enhance lymph nodes’ involvement. This
study also found that the gene’s expression was raised significantly in
progressed stages of the cancer. Therefore, cortactin gene overexpression is an
important factor indicating breast cells’ invasion. Conclusion: The cortactin gene’s expression level can be
considered an accurate indicator for female breast cancer and also an
appropriate biomarker for this cancer in clinical evaluations.