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Strong cytoplasmic expression of NF-κB/p65 correlates with a good prognosis in patients with triple-negative breast cancer

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Abstract

Purpose

Recent studies have indicated that constitutive NF-κB activity could be involved in the proliferation of triple-negative breast cancer.

Methods

The NF-κB/p65 expression and the effects of a NF-κB inhibitor, (−)-DHMEQ, were examined in triple-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Women with triple-negative breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy between 2002 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed for their expression of NF-κB/p65, Bcl2 and Ki67 by immunohistochemistry in pre- and post-treatment specimens. The factors predicting the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the prognosis were analyzed.

Results

NF-κB/p65 was predominantly expressed in the cytoplasm of MDA-MB-231 cells. Of 34 triple-negative breast cancer patients, positive staining for NF-κB/p65 expression was detected in the nuclei of a few cells in seven tumors before neoadjuvant chemotherapy, while the expression of NF-κB/p65 in the cytoplasm was detected in almost all tumor cells of 33 tumors. The expression levels of NF-κB/p65 were not associated with the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, although the cytoplasmic NF-κB/p65 staining intensity was significantly decreased in the post-treatment tumor samples compared with the pretreatment samples. All patients whose tumors showed strong cytoplasmic NF-κB/p65 expression before neoadjuvant chemotherapy are currently disease free.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that strong cytoplasmic NF-κB/p65 expression could be a prognostic marker for patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Prof. Kazuo Umezawa, Aichi Medical University, and Dr. Tatsuya Yoshioka, Hokkaido P.W.F.A.C Obihiro-Kosei General Hospital, for their advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Breast Surgery, Hokkaido Cancer Center, Kikusui 4-2, Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo, 003-0804, Japan

    Motoi Baba & Masato Takahashi

  2. Division of Pathology, Hokkaido Cancer Center, Kikusui 4-2, Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo, 003-0804, Japan

    Katsushige Yamashiro

  3. Department of Gastroenterological Surgery I, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Kita 15 Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan

    Hideki Yokoo, Moto Fukai, Masanori Sato, Toshiya Kamiyama & Akinobu Taketomi

  4. Breast Surgery, Hokkaido University Hospital, Kita 14 Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8648, Japan

    Mitsuchika Hosoda & Hiroko Yamashita

Authors
  1. Motoi Baba
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  2. Masato Takahashi
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  3. Katsushige Yamashiro
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  4. Hideki Yokoo
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  5. Moto Fukai
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  6. Masanori Sato
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  7. Mitsuchika Hosoda
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  8. Toshiya Kamiyama
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  9. Akinobu Taketomi
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  10. Hiroko Yamashita
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hiroko Yamashita.

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None of the authors has any conflict of interest to declare in association with this study.

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Baba, M., Takahashi, M., Yamashiro, K. et al. Strong cytoplasmic expression of NF-κB/p65 correlates with a good prognosis in patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Surg Today 46, 843–851 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-015-1265-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-015-1265-5

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