Ki-67 and SOX-10 Expressions in Breast Cancer Patients – Their Relationship with Clinicopathological Attributes

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women and is associated with high mortality (670,000 deaths in 2022), mostly due to late diagnosis. The identification of biomarkers associated with clinicopathological variables can aid in the diagnosis and targeted treatment of patients. Objectives: Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between SOX-10 and Ki-67 expression in invasive ductal breast tumors and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients. Methods: In this retrospective observational study, 42 tumor tissue samples were prepared from patients with invasive ductal breast cancer who met the inclusion criteria. Clinical and clinicopathological data such as age, tumor type, size, lymph node involvement, tumoral tissue necrosis, grade, and tumor mitotic activity were collected from the hospital HIS system. SOX-10 and Ki-67 expression were studied using immunohistochemical assays. Data were analyzed in SPSS V. 26 software using the chi-square test and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The present study was conducted retrospectively with 42 patients referred to Besat Hospital, Hamadan, Iran. SOX-10 expression was not associated with clinicopathological variables such as tumor size, tumor molecular type, grade, lymph node involvement, and tumor necrosis. However, all luminal A tumors were Ki-67 + or ++ [P = 0.0001, likelihood ratio (LR) = 39.74, R = -0.032], and Ki-67 was negative in luminal B subtypes. Also, most grade I tumors were negative for Ki-67, and most grade II tumors were Ki-67 + (P = 0.008). Nevertheless, grade III tumors were more Ki-67 ++. Conclusions: There is no association between SOX-10 expression and the clinicopathological attributes of invasive ductal breast cancer. However, it was found that Ki-67 did not express in luminal B subtypes (in this sample) but is expressed in luminal A ones. In addition, Ki-67 expression is higher in grade III tumors compared to grades I and II. However, prospective studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to confirm the results of the present study.