Cancer stem cells markers CD44, CD24 and ALDH1 in breast cancer special histological types

Author(s)

de Beca, Francisco Ferro ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Caetano, Pedro ^[4] ; Gerhard, Rene ^[1] ; Alvarenga, Cesar Augusto ^[5] ; Gomes, Madalena ^[1] ; Paredes, Joana ^{[1, 2]} ; Schmitt, Fernando ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Porto, IPATIMUP Inst Mol Pathol & Immunol, P-4200465 Oporto - Portugal

^[2] Univ Porto, Fac Med, Dept Pathol & Oncol, P-4200465 Oporto - Portugal

^[3] Ctr Hosp Sao Joao, Dept Anat Pathol, Oporto - Portugal

^[4] Univ Porto, ICBAS Inst Biomed Sci Abel Salazar, P-4200465 Oporto - Portugal

^[5] Inst Patol Campinas, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of Clinical Pathology; v. 66, n. 3, p. 187-191, MAR 2013.
• Web of Science Citations: 72

Abstract

Aims CD44, CD24 and ALDH1 are the most consistently used biomarkers to identify and characterise the breast cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotype. However, most studies performed until now analysed samples of invasive ductal carcinomas of no special type (IDC-NST). Therefore, prevalence and clinical significance of these CSC markers in breast carcinomas of special histological types (SHT) is largely unknown. For that reason, this study aims to determine the distribution of the breast CD44, CD24 and ALDH1 CSC markers among a series of invasive breast carcinomas of SHT, in comparison with a series of IDC-NST. Methods 117 invasive SHT breast carcinomas were analysed for the expression of CD44, CD24 and ALDH1, by immuhohistochemistry. The distribution of these CSC markers was evaluated among the distinct histological special types, and the results were compared with a series of 466 IDC-NST. Results The expression prevalence of the breast CSC markers differed between special types and IDC-NST. Medullary, papillary and tubular carcinomas were enriched in the CSC phenotype CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) (80.0%, 100.0% and 100.0%, respectively, vs 45.3% in IDC-NST). Considering the ALDH1 cytoplasmic tumour expression, only medullary and metaplastic carcinomas displayed significant increase in CD44(+)/CD24(-/low)/ALDH1(+) CSC phenotype frequency (36.4% and 28.6%, respectively, vs 4.8% in IDC-NST). Conclusions The expression distribution of breast CSC markers is largely dependent on histological type. Interestingly, within the distinct SHT, medullary and metaplastic carcinomas are the two types highly associated with high-grade carcinomas, basal-like and claudin-low molecular subtypes, and to the CSC phenotype CD44(+)/CD24(-/low)/ALDH1(+). (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/00815-6 - Molecular characterization and signaling pathways of histological special types of the breast
• Grantee: Luiz Carlos Zeferino
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants