Role of Vitronectin as a potential Serum Biomarker for Breast Cancer Prognosis

Abstract

Introduction: Breast Cancer is the most common form of cancer in women worldwide, impacting nearly 2.1 million women each year. In 2018, nearly 627,000 women died of breast cancer, which accounts for 15% of all cancer deaths. Identification of new biomarkers could be key for early diagnosis and therefore, increase the survival.  Vitronectin, a glycoprotein that is abundantly found in serum, extracellular matrix, and bone, binds to integrin alpha V beta 3, and promotes cell adhesion and migration. Current studies indicate that patients with amplified Vitronectin copy-number have lower survival rates than patients without amplified Vitronectin. In this study, we focused on the role of vitronectin in breast cancer survival and its functional role as a non-invasive biomarker for early stage and stage specific breast cancer detection. Materials and Methods: To confirm that the expression of vitronectin is amplified in breast cancer, a total of 240 serum samples (n=240) from breast cancer patients were analyzed using the Reverse Phase Protein Array (RPPA) technique. Of the 240 samples, 120 samples were of African American descent, while the other 120 were of Caucasian American descent.