Androgen receptor expression distribution characteristics in young female breast cancer patients in China: a study of clinicopathological features.

Abstract

Background: The expression of androgen receptor (AR) in breast cancer has potential implications for predicting clinical outcomes, especially amongst young female patients. Numerous studies have reported that the co-expression of AR with hormone receptors (HRs) is correlated with a favorable prognosis in breast cancer. However, research on the frequency and distribution of AR expression in Chinese breast cancer patients is limited. This study aims to investigate the relationship between AR expression and the expression of progesterone receptor (PR), estrogen receptor (ER), P53, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in breast cancer patients, and the distribution of molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Further, we aim to explore the pattern of AR expression and its correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis among young female patients in China.

Methods: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 321 young female breast cancer patients were collected from the Third Hospital of Nanchang. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess the expression of AR, ER, PR, HER2, and Ki67. A statistical analysis was conducted to explore the correlation between the expression of AR and these molecular markers, as well as their distribution across different molecular subtypes of breast cancer, and their prognostic significance.

Results: A total of 321 breast cancer patients were included in this study. Significant correlations were found between the positive expression of AR and the high expression of PR and ER (P<0.001). The rate of P53 positivity was significantly higher in the AR-positive patients than the AR-negative patients (P=0.01). Additionally, HER2 expression was significantly higher in the AR-positive patients than the AR-negative patients (P<0.001). Notably, the rate of EGFR positivity was significantly lower in the AR-positive patients compared to AR-negative patients (P<0.001). In relation to the molecular subtypes, AR positivity was significantly associated with the luminal A subtype (P<0.001), while the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)/basal-like subtype was more common in the AR-negative patients.

Conclusions: This study revealed that in young female breast cancer patients in China, AR-positive breast cancer was significantly associated with the high expression of HRs, increased P53 expression and reduced EGFR expression. The expression status of AR can serve as a biomarker to predict therapeutic responses but could also influence the classification of molecular subtypes and the selection of treatment strategies.