Oueslati Mohamed, Bittaieb Ilhem, Sassi Nadia, Jemaa Awatef Ben, Gamoudi Amor, Rahal Khaled, Oueslati Ridha
Unit of Immunology, Environmental Microbiology and Carcinogenesis, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, University of Carthage, Zarzouna 7021, Tunisia.
Pathological Anatomy Service, Saleh Azeiz Oncology Institute, Beb Saadoun, Tunis 1006, Tunisia.
Oncol Lett. 2017 Aug;14(2):1675-1682. doi: 10.3892/ol.2017.6314. Epub 2017 Jun 6.
The estrogen receptors (ERs) ERα and ERβ are important factors in breast cancer progression. Nevertheless, the molecular interplay between ERα and ERβ and its clinical significance in breast cancer is controversial. The establishment of a clear association is required; therefore, the current study analyzed the expression patterns of ERα and ERβ in 32 breast tumor tissues using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and the Ki-67 status were detected by immunohistochemistry. The results revealed that the ERα and ERβ expression rates recorded were 68 and 65%, respectively. The ERα:ERβ ratio exhibited a decline along with disease progression. ERα and ERβ were found to be negatively correlated with HER2 status but positively correlated with Ki-67. Co-expression of ERα and ERβ was associated with breast cancer aggressiveness, including higher histological grade and positive nodal status, which commonly occur following the menopause. In addition, in cases where ERβ was coexpressed with ERα, HER2 expression was frequently found to be negative, whereas the Ki-67 index was upregulated. These data suggest that ERα and ERβ co-expression may be an indicator of tumor aggressiveness and the sensitivity of hormonal therapy via the downregulation of HER2.
雌激素受体（ERs）ERα和ERβ是乳腺癌进展中的重要因素。然而，ERα与ERβ之间的分子相互作用及其在乳腺癌中的临床意义仍存在争议。需要建立明确的关联；因此，本研究采用逆转录定量聚合酶链反应分析了32例乳腺肿瘤组织中ERα和ERβ的表达模式。此外，通过免疫组织化学检测人表皮生长因子受体2（HER2）和Ki-67状态。结果显示，ERα和ERβ的表达率分别为68%和65%。ERα:ERβ比值随疾病进展而下降。发现ERα和ERβ与HER2状态呈负相关，但与Ki-67呈正相关。ERα和ERβ的共表达与乳腺癌侵袭性相关，包括更高的组织学分级和阳性淋巴结状态，这些情况通常在绝经后出现。此外，在ERβ与ERα共表达的病例中，经常发现HER2表达为阴性，而Ki-67指数上调。这些数据表明，ERα和ERβ共表达可能是肿瘤侵袭性的指标，并且通过下调HER2可能是激素治疗敏感性的指标。
