Expression of Tumour-Associated MUC1 Is a Poor Prognostic Marker in Breast Cancer in Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract

Background. Immunohistochemical assessment of breast cancer and stratification into the basic molecular subtypes afford a much deeper insight into the biology of breast cancer, while presenting with opportunities to exploit personalized, targeted treatment. Traditionally, the oestrogen, progesterone, and epidermal growth factor receptors are assessed. MUC1, a transmembrane mucin, has been demonstrated a potential prognostic and metastatic marker in breast cancer. However, there have been a limited number of studies addressing the predictive and prognostic features of MUC1 in African breast cancer. This study aims at addressing the expression profiles of MUC1 and other biomarkers in Ghanaian breast cancer and determines its predictive and prognostic characteristics, in relation to other clinicopathological features. Methods. Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) slides of breast cancer cases were reviewed and 203 suitable cases were selected for tissue microarray (TMA) construction and immunohistochemistry. Anti-ER, PR, HER2, Ki-67, and MUC1 antibodies were used. Results from the immunostaining were analysed using SPSS version 23. Results. About 59% of cases expressed MUC1. Majority of cases in the study showed a lack of expression of all three traditional markers (29% expressed ER, 10.9% PR, and 20.7% HER2). Ki-67 index were 62.1% (low), 16.5% (moderate), and 21.4% (high). MUC1 expressions among the molecular classes were luminal A (60.7%), luminal B (68.8%), HER2 overexpression (87.5%), and triple negative (56.6%). There were significant associations between MUC1 and HER2 overexpression (p=0.01) and triple negative (p<0.01). Conclusion. The high proportion of breast cancer cases expressing MUC1, as well as its association with the two most aggressive molecular classes, indicate a substantial role in the biology of breast cancer in our cohort, and it is an indication of poor prognosis.

Prognostic Implications of the Residual Tumor Microenvironment after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients without Pathological Complete Response

“…MUC1 is a transmembrane oncoprotein implicated in cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion, which contributes to immune escape and has been linked to transformation, invasion and progress of tumor cells [69,70]. In line with our findings, expression of MUC1 has been associated with poor prognosis in BC patients [71,72]. Furthermore, K-M curves confirm the usefulness of the expression of MUC1 mRNA as a genetic TME marker related to a poor OS.…”

An In Vitro Comparison of Costimulatory Domains in Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell for Breast Cancer Treatment

“…Mucin-1 (MUC1) is a type I transmembrane protein, uniformly overexpressed on breast cancer, and its expression serves as a predictive marker for metastatic progression and poor prognosis [ 10 ]. The extracellular domain of MUC1 (MUC1-N) is known to contain a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) consisting of 20–21 amino acid sequence repeats.…”