Relationship of the integrin profile of the primary tumor to metastasis to regional lymph nodes in breast cancer

Background. Breast cancer ranks first in the structure of cancer morbidity and mortality. Involvement of a large number of regional lymph nodes is considered a poor prognostic outcome. The mechanisms of development of lymphogenous metastasis in general and common in particular are not fully understood. Integrins are involved in the metastatic process by mediating tumor cell invasion and adhesion to vascular endothelium. Aim. To study the role of integrins in lymphogenous metastasis. Materials and methods. The study included 72 patients diagnosed with invasive breast carcinoma of no special type who underwent surgical treatment on the basis of the cancer research institute national research medical center. The average age reached 51.2 years. In accordance with the indications and morphological data, the patients underwent antitumor treatment. The tissue of the primary tumor obtained by trepanbiopsy. Histological and immunohistochemical examination was carried out according to the standard method. In primary tumor cells, the presence or absence of cytoplasmic or membrane/cytoplasmic colocalization of CD61 (Integrin beta 3), CD104 (Integrin beta 4), CD51 (Integrin alpha-V) expression was assessed. When statistically processing the results, Fisher's test and one-way regression analysis were used. Results. In the N3 group, the frequency of cytoplasmic expression of CD 61 was higher at the trend level (40.9 and 18%; p=0.074). In the group of patients with N3, positive cytoplasmic expression of CD104 (37.5 and 15.0%; p=0.029) and membrane and cytoplasmic colocalization (52.6 and 15.1%; p=0.004) were more often detected. In the group with N1 and N2, membrane and cytoplasmic colocalization of CD104 expression was less common (15.8 and 54.7%; p=0.006). When studying the expression frequency of CD51 integrin, no significant differences were found depending on the severity of lymphogenous metastasis. Conclusion. Expression of CD104 in primary tumor cells is strongly associated with widespread lymphogenous metastasis. Studies of the role of integrins in the development of lymphogenous metastasis are promising for predicting the prevalence of this process in the preoperative period and for searching for methods of influencing the tumor.