CD44v6 is not a prognostic factor in primary breast cancer

Abstract

Background: CD44 is an adhesion molecule and represents a highly variable family of isoforms. The isoform CD44v6 has been associated with metastasis formation and poor prognosis in animal models and human colon cancer. Results of studies in primary breast cancer are relatively small and contradictory. Patients and methods: The immunohistochemical expression of CD44v6 was studied in a series of 338 patients with primary breast tumors, uniformly staged and treated in a single center with a long median follow-up of 128 months. The prognostic significance of CD44v6 as well as the correlation with several clinicopathological features were analysed. Results: Two hundred nineteen of 338 (64.8%) of the breast cancers were CD44v6- positive (> 5% of tumour cells with positive staining), CD44v6 expression had no value for prognosticating disease-free or overall survival at this or any other cut-off point. Conclusion: CD44v6 expression is not a prognostic factor in primary breast cancer.