M.A. Senchukova1, N.V. Nikitenko2, E.Yu. Zubareva1
1Orenburg State Medical University, Orenburg
2Cancer Center №2, Sochi
Senchukova Marina A. ― D. Sc. (Medicine), Professor of the Department of Radiation Diagnostics, Radiation Therapy, Oncology of the Orenburg State Medical University; SPIN-код: 9877-8828, Author ID: 583884, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8371-740X
6 Sovetskaya Str., Orenburg, Russian Federation, 460000, tel. +7-987-348-85-25, e-mail: masenchukova@yandex.ru
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and angiogenesis are the pivotal events in the tumor progression. Given that vimentin is a widely known EMT-like phenotype marker the aim of this study was to investigate the features of vimentin expression and their correlation with different types of tumor vessels and clinical characteristics of breast cancer (BC).
Settings and design. This was a retrospective, case–control study.
Material and methods. Tumor samples received from 63 patients with T1-T2 stages of ductal invasive carcinomas were included in this pilot prospective study. The sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemically (IHC) using antibodies to CD34 and vimentin. Chi-square test and Mann ― Whitney U Test were used for statistical analysis, values of p<0.05 being considered statistically significant.
Results. Vimentin expression was revealed in the following types of cells: in normal fibroblasts and myoepithelial cells, the endothelial cells, the atypical stromal cells and in cells of intraductal and invasive components of tumor. The high density (14,4 and more in the field of view) of the atypical stromal cells expressing vimentin and presence of vimentin expression in the invasive component of the tumor was more often observed in the presence of multiple structures with partial endothelial lining (p=0,008 and p=0,007, respectively) and atypical dilated capillaries (p=0,0003 and p=0,0003, respectively). There were no correlations between the special characteristics of vimentin expression and clinical, pathologic and molecular-biological characteristics of the BC.
Conclusion. The data obtained confirm the hypothesis about the relationship between the processes of angiogenesis and EMT in BC.
Key words: angiogenesis, breast cancer, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, vimentin.