Identification of aberrant gene expression during breast ductal carcinoma progression to invasive ductal carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE

It has been reported that 80% of all breast carcinoma cases are invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), and 45% to 78% of invasive breast carcinoma cases are associated with ductal carcinoma (DCIS). Therefore, it is important to gain insights into transcriptome changes that occur during DCIS progression to IDC.

METHODS

We downloaded Gene Expression Omnibus databases GSE21422 and GSE3893, and performed differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis and cluster analysis, followed by pathway enrichment analysis and Oncomine analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-six conserved DEGs were identified in both GSE21422 and GSE3893. These genes are mainly enriched in intermediate filament-based processes, immune responses, infection response, and phagosomes. Among them, , , , and were reported to be involved in DCIS progression to IDC. High expression of , , and in different types of breast cancer was validated using different Oncomine datasets. Moreover, elevated and levels were associated with breast cancer recurrence. Importantly, the overexpression of was correlated with breast cancer metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed the molecular characteristics associated with progression from DCIS to IDC. It also identified potential biomarkers for DCIS progression to IDC, which will aid breast cancer diagnosis and prevention.