Androgen Receptor and Tumor-Associated Neutrophil Expression Across Breast Cancer Subtypes: Associations With Clinicopathological Characteristics.

Abstract

Objectives: This study is aimed at evaluating androgen receptor (AR) and tumor-associated neutrophil (TAN) expressions in different breast cancer subtypes and their relationship with tumor differentiation, stage, and other clinicopathological markers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 84 breast cancer patients at Stages I-IV. Tumor tissues were assessed using immunohistochemistry for ER, PR, HER2, AR, and Ki67, along with TAN evaluation using hematoxylin and eosin staining. Associations between AR, TAN, and other clinical variables were analyzed using chi-square, t-tests, and logistic regression. Results: AR was expressed in 70.2% of tumors and was significantly associated with ER positivity (OR = 74.31, p < 0.001), PR positivity (OR = 6.8, p = 0.01), and better differentiation (OR = 0.1 for poorly differentiated tumors, p = 0.035). AR positivity was highest in Luminal A/B subtypes (82%) and lowest in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) (20%; OR = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01-0.3). In contrast, TAN positivity was observed in 45.6% of cases and was most frequent in TNBC (67%; OR = 3.7, 95% CI: 0.9-15.3) and poorly differentiated tumors (71.4%). TANs were inversely associated with PR positivity (OR = 0.21, p = 0.014) and showed a significant association with vascular invasion (p = 0.047). No significant associations were found between AR or TAN expression and metastatic status or neural invasion. Conclusion: AR is a defining marker for HR-positive breast cancers and may serve as an indicator of lower tumor grade and differentiation status. TANs, however, are linked to more aggressive phenotypes, especially in TNBC, suggesting a role in driving tumor progression. This highlights the potential for AR and TAN expression patterns to refine patient stratification across breast cancer subtypes.