The Expression And Clinical Significance Of Activin A,Cripto-1 In Breast Cancer

Objective:To study the expression and correlation between Activin A protein and Cripto-1 protein in breast cancer and to discusse the function of Activin A and Cripto-1 in the pathogenesis of breast cancer.Materials and methods:To test the expression of Activin A protein and the Cripto-1 protein of the breast tissues, including 70 cases with breast cancer and 10 cases with breast fibroid tumor and 15 cases normal breast tissue in Immunihistochemistry (IHC) method.Result:Activin A protein expressed highly both in normal breast tissue and breast fibroid tumor, but in breast cancer tissue it expressed in various degree. By comparison, the expression of Activin A protein was significantly different between breast cancer, breast fibroid tumor and normal breast tissue(P=0.000).The expression of activin A has no significant relationship (P> 0.05) with the size of tumor, but it related closely to its histological classification, tumor metastasis and histological grade (P<0.05). The higher degree of malignance and histological grade the tumor showed, the weaker activin A would express. Activin A expressed weaker in tumors with lymph node's metastasis than in those without lymph node's metastasis, which suggested that higher expression of activin A was related to better prognosis closely.The expression of Cripto-1 protein was significantly different between breast cancer, breast fibroid tumor and normal breast tissue (P= 0.001). The P values of relevance between Cripto-1's expression and patient's age, sex and tumor's depth were all more than 0.05, and Cripto-1 expression were significantly related with lymph node metastasis (P=0.041) and clinical stage (P=0.036).The expression of Activin A protein was negatively correlated with Cripto-1 protein in breast cancer tissues (r=-0.304 P=0.045).Conclusions:1.The expression of activin A had no significant relationship with the size of tumor, but it related closely to its histological classification, tumor metastasis and histological grade, which suggested that higher expression of activin A related to better prognosis closely.2.Compared with expressing in breast fibroid tumor and normal breast tissue, Cripto-1 protein expressed highly in breast cancer tissue, and its expression related to the tumor's TMN stage. So, it could be seen that Cripto-1 protein had close relationship with the occurrence,development, invasion and metastasis of the breast cancer.3. The expression of activin A protein was negatively correlated with Cripto-1 protein in breast cancer tissues (r=-0.304 P=0.045). Activin A protein played a role anti-oncogene, however, Cripto-1 protein acted as aoncogene. Both of them played their own roles in the process of breast cancer's occurrence and development.