Exploring the Integrated Role of AKT2, CD44v6, And MT1-MMP as Predictors of Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis in Invasive Breast Carcinoma of No Special Type

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Invasive breast carcinoma of no special type (IBC-NST) is the most common type of breast cancer, which mainly causes axillary lymph-node metastasis (ALNM). Building on our previous research, we wanted to explore the optimal combination of AKT2, CD44v6, and MT1-MMP for the ALNM prediction. METHODS: The presence or absence of ALNM was used to separate 46 paraffin blocks containing IBC-NST primary tumors into two groups. Age, tumor grade, tumor size, receptor status (ER, PR, HER2, Ki-67, TOP2A), and test biomarker expression were evaluated. Biomarker expressions were assessed by IHC staining and categorized according to their respective cut-offs from our previous study, while other data were collected from archives. Data was gathered and analyzed using univariate, multivariate, and AUROC models. RESULTS: The expression of CD44v6 (OR: 12.77, 95% CI: 2.18-87.12, P=0.005) was identified as the independent variable for ALNM. Meanwhile, AKT2 expression (OR: 3.22, 95% CI: 0.36-22.41, P=0.237) and MT1-MMP expression (OR: 5.35, 95% CI: 0.83-34.54, P=0.078) did not demonstrate a statistically significant independent association in respect to ALNM. Combining AKT2 and MT1-MMP on CD44v6 increased overall accuracy by 4% compared to CD44v6 alone (AUROC 0.89 vs. 0.85). CONCLUSION: The combined usage of AKT2, CD44v6, and MT1-MMP revealed no significant change compared to CD44v6 alone. Due to the cost and practicality, we propose using CD44v6 as a predictor biomarker of ALNM in IBC-NST.