The significance of Survivin and Nectin-4 expression in the prognosis of breast carcinoma

To investigate the prognostic significance of Survivin and Nectin-4 expression in breast carcinomas. Imprint smears were obtained from 140 breast carcinoma specimens and studied immunocytochemically for the expression of Survivin and Nectin-4. The results were correlated with several clinicopathological parameters, including five-year survival. Increased Survivin staining pattern correlated with increased grade (p < 0.0001), increased lymph node invasion (p < 0.0001), increased tumor size and reduced survival (p < 0.0001). Elevated Nectin-4 expression also correlated significantly with increased grade (p < 0.0001), increased tumor size (p < 0.0001) and reduced survival (p < 0.0001). In addition, Survivin and Nectin-4 staining patterns correlated strongly with one another (p < 0.0001). However, on multivariate analysis, neither Survivin nor Nectin-4 expression seemed to have an independent impact on survival in our study cases. The findings of our study suggest that increased expression of Survivin and Nectin-4 may indicate a worse prognosis in breast cancer patients. The exact implications of the expression of these markers in breast cancer prognosis and treatment remain to be clarified. (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2011; Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 26-33)