Case with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Shows Overexpression of Both Cfos and Tgf-β1 in Node-Positive Tissue

Abstract

We present herein a case report style article on a rare advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patient with 6-month disease-free interval, and 10-month overall survival. Our results demonstrate that the poor clinical outcome of this patient was associated with pronounced, more than fivefold higher, overexpression of both cFOS and TGF-β1 proteins in its metastatic nodal tissue extracts, when compared with the values of the two non-TNBC controls (with ‘zero’ disease-free interval and overall survival). This original observation suggests, for the first time, that both the cFOS and TGF-β1 may be considered as a pair of biomarkers for an early assessment of poor prognosis for TNBC patients. The possible clinical implication of this observation is discussed.

Keywords::

• cFOS
• metastatic axillary lymph nodes
• TGF-β1
• triple-negative breast cancer

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank M Košutić and R Santella for generous support.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Financial support for this work, under project OI 173049 to V Mandušić was provided by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in, or financial conflict with, the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript, apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Informed consent disclosure

The authors state that they have obtained verbal and written informed consent from the patient/patients for the inclusion of their medical and treatment history within this case series.

Additional information

Funding

Financial support for this work, under project OI 173049 to V Mandušić was provided by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in, or financial conflict with, the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript, apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.