ZBTB7 overexpression contributes to malignancy in breast cancer.

ZBTB7 was recently recognized as a proto-oncogene. We studied its prognostic value and relationship to clinicopathological variables in 125 breast cancer patients. ZBTB7 expression was significantly higher in breast cancer tissues than in normal breast tissues, but its gene amplification copies were relatively low. ZBTB7 expression levels were significantly correlated with histological grade (p = .023) and marginally inversely correlated with the presence of estrogen receptors (p = .053); its overexpression significantly predicted shorter recurrence-free survival (p = .033). Our results showed that ZBTB7 might be implicated in breast cancer development and may serve as a promising prognostic marker.