Novel Stem Cell Markers of Prime Prognostic Importance in Carcinoma Breast

Introduction: The burden of breast cancer across the globe is rising and is anticipated to cross almost 2 million by 2030. Tumour markers estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)/neu along with cancer stem cells expression of CD24 and CD44 are crucial in predicting therapy resistance and prognosis.Aim: This study was conducted to examine the expression of CD44/ CD24 and to compare and correlate the expression of ER, PR and HER2/neu with the expression of CD44/ 24, applied immunohistochemical markers on sectioned wax-embedded blocks of proven cases of carcinoma of the breast.Materials and Method: The study spanned a duration of 3 years in a tertiary care centre and all histologically confirmed radical mastectomy cases were included. Immunohistochemical staining for ER, PR, HER2/neu, CD44 and CD24 was performed in formalin-fixed, paraffin wax-embedded tissue sections.Results: Seventy participants were enrolled in the study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. All cases involved females, averaging an age of 56.2 years. Histologically majority of participants were of infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Most cases were of Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) type (40%) followed by Luminal A type (30.9%). Among Infiltrating Ductal carcinoma, 27 were of CD44+/ CD24+ type and 17 were of CD44-/ CD24+ type.Conclusion: Our study results indicate a correlation between the CD44+/ CD24- phenotype and molecular subtypes, with the highest expression noted in the HER2 subtype. We hereby emphasise that early detection and better management of these cases through a multimodality approach of markers could help in improved survival. How to cite this article:Ramachandran T, Kulandhaivel A L, Rani N L, Venkatesan D, Muddegowda P H. Novel Stem Cell Markers of Prime Prognostic Importance in Carcinoma Breast. Chettinad Health City Med J. 2024;13(4):121-127. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2278.2044.202468