Relationship between NF-κB, ER, PR, Her2/neu, Ki67, p53 expression in human breast cancer

Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate expression patterns of transcription factor NF-κB (p50 and p65), ER, PR, Her2/neu, Ki-67 and p53 in tumor tissue of patients with breast cancer (BC) and analyze correlation between these markers. Patients and Methods: 62 BC patients previously nottreated with chemo- or radiotherapy were included in the study. All tumors belong to invasive ductal carcinoma of different grade. Expression of molecular markers was determined by immunohistochemical analysis on paraffin-embedded tissue sections. Results: The correlation between tumor grade and expression of ER, PR, Ki-67 and p53 was defined. NF-κB expression was found to be changed dependent on expression of ER, PR and p53 and also on molecular subtype (luminal, Her2-positive, hybrid, basal-like). The highest levels of NF-κB, Ki-67 and p53 were found in Her2/neu+ and basal-like tumor subtypes. Conclusion: The increase of nuclear expression of NF-κB correlates with a decrease of expression of steroid hormone receptors (ER and PR), increase of p53 accumulation, and is associated with Her2-positive and basal-like tumor types