Intermediate Filaments in Breast Cancer Progression, and Potential Biomarker for Cancer Therapy: A Narrative Review

Widad Aghnia Shalannandia,1 Yoan Chou,2 Muhammad Hasan Bashari,1,3 Astrid Feinisa Khairani1,3 1Graduate School of Master Program in Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Jatinangor, West Java, Indonesia; 2Graduate School of Master Program in Anti Aging and Aesthetic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Jatinangor, West Java, Indonesia; 3Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Jatinangor, West Java, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Astrid Feinisa Khairani, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jalan Raya Bandung – Sumedang Km 21, Jatinangor, Sumedang, West Java, 45363, Indonesia, Tel +62-22-7795594, Email [email protected]: Intermediate filaments are one of the three components of the cytoskeletons, along with actin and microtubules. The intermediate filaments consist of extensive variations of structurally related proteins with specific expression patterns in cell types. The expression pattern alteration of intermediate filaments is frequently correlated with cancer progression, specifically with the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition process closely related to increasing cellular migration and invasion. This review will discuss the involvement of cytoplasmic intermediate filaments, specifically vimentin, nestin, and cytokeratin (CK5/CK6, CK7, CK8/CK18, CK17, CK19, CK20, CSK1), in breast cancer progression and as prognostic or diagnostic biomarkers. The potential for drug development targeting intermediate filaments in cancer will be reviewed. Keywords: breast malignancy, cytokeratin, EMT, intermediate filament, keratin, nestin, vimentin