Clinical significance of ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression in women with breast carcinoma.

Background: Breast cancer is the most prominent cancer among women worldwide, with a two-fold incidence in China compared to the worldwide incidence. ALDH1A1, catalyzing the oxidation of intracellular aldehydes and converting retinol into retinoic acid, serves as a biomarker of early stem cell differentiation. Ki67 levels are prognostic or residual risk biomarkers after primary therapy and can predict the effects of systemic therapies or monitor patients for sustained response or resistance to the administered therapies. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression and clinicopathological parameters among women with breast cancer.

Methods: Breast cancer tissue specimens were obtained from the Department of Pathology at the First Hospital of Qiqihar. Indirect fluorescent immunostaining was used to assess the expression of ALDH1A1 and Ki67 in breast cancer and healthy tissues. Associations between ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression and clinicopathological parameters of breast cancer were evaluated using the chi-square test. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The correlation between ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression was assessed using Spearman's rank correlation analysis.

Results: ALDH1A1 and Ki67 were upregulated in breast cancer tissue compared with normal breast tissue (p<0.05). Furthermore, ALDH1A1 expression was further upregulated with an advancement in breast cancer grade, i.e., ALDH1A1 expression levels were higher in patients with stage III/IV breast cancer than in those with stage I/II breast cancer. Furthermore, ALDH1A1 and Ki67 were upregulated in the presence of lymphatic metastasis.

Conclusion: ALDH1A1 may be considered a pathognomonic marker for breast cancer. ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression are significantly positively correlated in women with breast cancer.