Combination Twist1 and CA15-3 in axillary lymph nodes for breast cancer prognosis

Twist1 overexpression is involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition resulting in migration and metastasis of breast cancer. Carcinoma antigen 15–3 (CA15-3) is widely used to monitor the prognosis for patients after treatment. However, the significance of Twist1 in axillary lymph nodes (ALN) and CA15-3 for co-examination for survival rates remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to explore the role of the combination of Twist1 expression in metastasized ALN and the serum level of CA15-3 in evaluating the prognosis of patients with breast cancer. cluster of differentiation (CD)44, CD24, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)1 and Twist1 expression in normal and metastasized ALN from 102 patients with breast cancer were detected using laser confocal microscopy and the expression of the genes evaluated by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction; E-cadherin, N-cadherin and vimentin expression was also tested by western blotting. The serum concentrations of CA15-3 prior to and following surgery were analyzed by chemiluminescence immunoassay. The expression of CD44, ALDH1 and Twist1 mRNA in the primary breast cancer tissues and involved ALN was upregulated compared with the normal ALN (P<0.05). The proteins N-cadherin and vimentin of the involved ALN were poorly expressed compared with breast cancer tissues, however E-cadherin protein expression was higher in metastasized and normal ALN compared with primary cancer tissues (P<0.05). Of the 102 patients, the serum CA15-3 levels of the patients in stages I and II were significantly lower compared with stages III and IV (P<0.05). Twist1(+)/CA15-3(+), HER2-negative/Twist1(+)/CA15-3(+) and Triple-receptor negative/Twist1(+)/CA15-3(+) groups displayed a shorter progression-free survival compared with others. The results of the present study demonstrated that CD44, ALDH1 and Twist1 were significantly overexpressed in involved ALN. The serum levels of CA15-3 in those patients were clearly increased and the survival rates decreased, which suggested that a combination of Twist1 in ALN and CA15-3 may function as an indicator for the prognosis of patients with breast cancer.