Study of Prostate Specific Antigen Gene Expression and Telomerase in Breast Cancer Patients: Relationship to Steroid Hormone Receptors

• Published in: Pizishkī-i bālīnī-i Ibn-i Sīnā Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 10 - 18
• Main Authors: Nosratollah Zarghami, Abbas Mohajri, Ashraf Fakhrjoo, Ali Montazeri, Jahanbakhsh Asadi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Persian
• Published: Hamadan University of Medical Sciences 01.12.2007
• Subjects: breast cancer; prostate specific antigen; telomerase
• ISSN: 2588-722X; 2588-7238

Introduction & Objective: Breast cancer is the most common disease in women. In the expansion and progression of breast tumors combination of tumor markers including prostate specific antigen (PSA) and telomerase are engaged. The aim of this study was to evaluate relationship between telomerase activity and prostate specific antigen gene expression with steroid hormone receptors in breast cancer patients. Materials & Methods: This study was a case-control and consisted of 50 women diagnosed with breast benign tumors as control and 50 women having malignant tumors as cases. Telomerase activity was measured in tumor cytosol of samples by telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay. PSA protein was measured using ultra sensitive immunoflourometric assay and PSA mRNA expression was carried out using RT-PCR technique in all tumor tissues. Estrogen and progesterone receptors were stained using immunohistochemistry technique in tumor tissues. Data analysis was carried out by using SPSS software version 11.6 and paired t-student test. Results: Using TRAP assay, presence of the telomerase activity was positive in all of the breast cancer patients. The difference of relative telomerase activity (RTA) values between stages and also all grades were more statistically significant (p<0.05). The mRNA of PSA was detected only in benign tumors and stage I and grade I malignant tumor cytosols. Difference of tumor cytosol PSA levels between the cases and control groups and also between all grades and stages of diseases were significant (p <0.05). In all, there was an inverse significant correlation between the RTA and PSA protein levels in the case groups. (r=-0.42, p<0.05).There was a statistically difference between steroid hormone receptors (ER and PR) positive and negative on PSA and telomerase gene expression in breast tumor tissues (p<0.05). Conclusion: It is speculated that differential expression of PSA and telomerase genes in breast tumors are under control of steroid hormone receptors and could be used as a target for treatment.