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Vitamin D receptor expression in invasive breast tumors and breast cancer survival

Huss, Linnea LU ; Butt, Salma Tunå LU ; Borgquist, Signe LU ; Elebro, Karin LU ; Sandsveden, Malte LU ; Rosendahl, Ann LU and Manjer, Jonas LU (2019) In Breast Cancer Research 21(1).
Abstract

Background: Vitamin D has been suggested to prevent and improve the prognosis of several cancers, including breast cancer. We have previously shown a U-shaped association between pre-diagnostic serum levels of vitamin D and risk of breast cancer-related death, with poor survival in patients with the lowest and the highest levels respectively, as compared to the intermediate group. Vitamin D exerts its functions through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), and the aim of the current study was to investigate if the expression of VDR in invasive breast tumors is associated with breast cancer prognosis. Methods: VDR expression was evaluated in a tissue microarray of 718 invasive breast tumors. Covariation between VDR expression and established... (More)

Background: Vitamin D has been suggested to prevent and improve the prognosis of several cancers, including breast cancer. We have previously shown a U-shaped association between pre-diagnostic serum levels of vitamin D and risk of breast cancer-related death, with poor survival in patients with the lowest and the highest levels respectively, as compared to the intermediate group. Vitamin D exerts its functions through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), and the aim of the current study was to investigate if the expression of VDR in invasive breast tumors is associated with breast cancer prognosis. Methods: VDR expression was evaluated in a tissue microarray of 718 invasive breast tumors. Covariation between VDR expression and established prognostic factors for breast cancer was analyzed, as well as associations between VDR expression and breast cancer mortality. Results: We found that positive VDR expression in the nuclei and cytoplasm of breast cancer cells was associated with favorable tumor characteristics such as smaller size, lower grade, estrogen receptor positivity and progesterone receptor positivity, and lower expression of Ki67. In addition, both intranuclear and cytoplasmic VDR expression were associated with a low risk of breast cancer mortality, hazard ratios 0.56 (95% CI 0.34-0.91) and 0.59 (0.30-1.16) respectively. Conclusions: This study found that high expression of VDR in invasive breast tumors is associated with favorable prognostic factors and a low risk of breast cancer death. Hence, a high VDR expression is a positive prognostic factor.

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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Breast cancer, Mortality, Survival, Tissue microarray, Vitamin D receptor
in
Breast Cancer Research
volume
21
issue
1
article number
84
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • pmid:31358030
  • scopus:85070101871
ISSN
1465-5411
DOI
10.1186/s13058-019-1169-1
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
85f5a105-d53b-4cec-939c-00d89587e1e8
date added to LUP
2019-08-28 16:50:54
date last changed
2024-04-16 18:56:28
@article{85f5a105-d53b-4cec-939c-00d89587e1e8,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Vitamin D has been suggested to prevent and improve the prognosis of several cancers, including breast cancer. We have previously shown a U-shaped association between pre-diagnostic serum levels of vitamin D and risk of breast cancer-related death, with poor survival in patients with the lowest and the highest levels respectively, as compared to the intermediate group. Vitamin D exerts its functions through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), and the aim of the current study was to investigate if the expression of VDR in invasive breast tumors is associated with breast cancer prognosis. Methods: VDR expression was evaluated in a tissue microarray of 718 invasive breast tumors. Covariation between VDR expression and established prognostic factors for breast cancer was analyzed, as well as associations between VDR expression and breast cancer mortality. Results: We found that positive VDR expression in the nuclei and cytoplasm of breast cancer cells was associated with favorable tumor characteristics such as smaller size, lower grade, estrogen receptor positivity and progesterone receptor positivity, and lower expression of Ki67. In addition, both intranuclear and cytoplasmic VDR expression were associated with a low risk of breast cancer mortality, hazard ratios 0.56 (95% CI 0.34-0.91) and 0.59 (0.30-1.16) respectively. Conclusions: This study found that high expression of VDR in invasive breast tumors is associated with favorable prognostic factors and a low risk of breast cancer death. Hence, a high VDR expression is a positive prognostic factor.</p>}},
  author       = {{Huss, Linnea and Butt, Salma Tunå and Borgquist, Signe and Elebro, Karin and Sandsveden, Malte and Rosendahl, Ann and Manjer, Jonas}},
  issn         = {{1465-5411}},
  keywords     = {{Breast cancer; Mortality; Survival; Tissue microarray; Vitamin D receptor}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{07}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{Breast Cancer Research}},
  title        = {{Vitamin D receptor expression in invasive breast tumors and breast cancer survival}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13058-019-1169-1}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/s13058-019-1169-1}},
  volume       = {{21}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}