OCT3/4, ALDH-1 and CD44 Expression Levels in Iraqi Women with Stage II-III Breast Cancer

 

Noah A. Mahmood^1,2*, Rajaa M. Fakhoury¹, Nahi Y. Yaseen², Mohamed E. Moustafa¹

 

Research Paper I Published April,2015

 

Journal of Medical and Biological Science Research Vol. 1 (2), pp. 10-12

¹Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon.

²Iraqi Center for Cancer and Medical Genetic Research,University of AL-Mustansiriya, Baghdad, Iraq.

*Corresponding author E-mail: noahmahmood418@gmail.com   

Cancer stem cell (CSC) markers OCT3/4, ALDH-1 and CD44 play important roles in metastasis and resistance to conventional cytotoxic agents. In this study, we investigated the expression levels of CSC markers OCT3/4, ALDH-1 and CD44 in Iraqi women with stage II-III breast cancer or with benign breast tumor. We also investigated the association between the expression levels of these markers and some clinicopathological features. The expression of OCT 3/4, ALDH-1 and CD44 in breast tissues was determined using real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry in 64 patients with breast cancer stage II or III samples as well as in 21 corresponding benign tumors. OCT3/4, ALDH-1 and CD44 mRNA levels were highly expressed in stage III (p= 0.004, 0.015 and 0.008, respectively) and in stage II (p= 0.043, 0.045 and 0.028, respectively) as compared to those in benign tumors. There was no significant variation in the expression of these markers between stages II and III (p= 0.18, 0.30 and 0.49). In addition, immunohistochemistry showed that OCT3/4, ALDH-1 and CD44 expression levels were increased in 82.2%, 68.8% and 53.1%, respectively in stage II-III breast cancer as compared to 14%, 28%, and 33% in benign tumor. The expression levels of OCT3/4, ALDH-1 and CD44 were correlated to tumor grades, types and lymph node metastasis. These results indicate that the expression levels of CSC markers OCT3/4, ALDH-1 and CD44 were increased in stage II-III breast cancer but not in benign breast tumor in Iraqi women.

Key Words: Benign tumor, breast cancer stem marker, cancer stem cells.

 

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