Lymphatic metastasis is related to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and expressions of VEGF, MMP-9, and COX-2 in breast cancer

Abstract

The invasion and metastasis of breast cancer are supposed to involve several stages in which epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is regarded as the mechanistic basis for the behavior of cancer cells. A series of factors related to EMT are apparently involved in such process. The current study aimed to investigate the contributions of EMT and related factors in lymph node metastasis of breast cancer. The expressions of E-cadherin (E-Cad), N-cadherin (N-Cad), vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and CD34 were examined in 74 cases of breast cancer, including 39 cases with lymph node metastasis and 35 cases without lymph node metastasis by immunohistochemistry. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the patients’ prognosis. The expressions of N-Cad, VEGF, MMP-9, and COX-2 in cases with lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than those without lymph node metastasis (P<0.05), while the E-Cad level was inversely related to status of lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). The metastasis rate of lymph node in the cases with EMT (lower E-Cad expression and higher N-Cad expression) was 78.3%, while that without EMT (higher E-Cad expression and lower N-Cad expression) was 11.1%. There was a statistical difference in the expression of COX-2 protein between histological grade I and grade II or III, respectively (P<0.05). In the cases with higher grade, the expression of E-Cad was decreased, while that of N-Cad was increased. Higher microvascular density (MVD) was also found to be significantly associated with lymphatic metastasis (P<0.05), and the cases with higher MVD had shorter survival time. This study indicates that EMT and expressions of VEGF, MMP-9 and COX-2, and MVD value are strongly correlated with lymph node metastasis in breast cancer.

Keywords

epithelial-mesenchymal transition / vascular endothelial cell growth factor / matrix metalloproteinase-9 / cyclooxygenase-2 / higher microvascular density / breast cancer

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