How Does the Cortactin Gene Expression Affect Breast Cancer among Iranian Females?

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the Iranian female population, and the incidence of the disease is rising. Early detection in association with staging or grading the tumor is the most effective method to increase survival rates. Studies have revealed that cortactin overexpression may play a role in the final stages of tumor progression and affects invasion and cellular motility. The aim of this study is to evaluate cortactin gene expression among Iranian female patients with breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Samples belonging to 70 breast cancer patients were randomly selected from the Imam Khomeini tumor bank. Normal and tumor tissues were prepared and stored at -80°C. Cortactin gene expression was evaluated by real-time PCR. Finally the data, along with demographic and clinical parameters, were analyzed using Prism 5.0 software, followed by t-test and ANOVA analysis. Results: Cortactin gene expression among tumor tissues increased 95.71% in comparison with normal tissues. A significant correlation between cortactin gene expression and lymph nodes’ involvement (P = 0.0077) and tumor stage (P = 0.0030) was observed. However, tumor grade (P = 0.8598), tumor size (P = 0.3058), and patient’s age (P = 0.4135) had no significant correlation with the gene’s expression level. Discussion: This study demonstrated that the cortactin gene’s overexpression in breast cancer may enhance lymph nodes’ involvement. This study also found that the gene’s expression was raised significantly in progressed stages of the cancer. Therefore, cortactin gene overexpression is an important factor indicating breast cells’ invasion. Conclusion: The cortactin gene’s expression level can be considered an accurate indicator for female breast cancer and also an appropriate biomarker for this cancer in clinical evaluations.