Change expressing of hTERT gene in breast cancer tissue before and after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy / 中国癌症杂志

ABSTRACT

Background and purpose:hTERT is indistinct in the effect of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Our aim was to detect both expression of hTERT mRNA and protein in breast cancer tissue and their changes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Methods:From Feb 2004 to Jun 2007, 53 cases with untreated advanced breast cancer were enrolled. All patients received CEF chemotherapy three cycles. The breast cancer tissue was collected before and after chemotherapy. hTERT mRNA and protein expression were detected by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry techniques. Results:The positive hTERT mRNA and protein expression in breast cancer tissue before chemotherapy were 77.4% and 73.6% respectively, and after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy were 28.3%,22.6% respectively.The effective rate of the neo-adjuvant chemotherapy of the patients with positive of hTERT expression was higher than those with negative hTERT expression. Conclusion:The chemo-agents altered hTERT gene expression, improved negative rate of hTERT expression. Detecting expression of hTERT gene in breast cancer tissue would be an important index for predicting the effects of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.