Down-regulation of BRMS1 mRNA Expression in Breast Cancer is not Related to the Presence of Axillary Node Metastasis

Background: BRMS1, recently identified in MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells, seems to act as a potent antimetastatic gene in experimental tumor models. Materials and Methods: To verify if BRMS1 exerts its action in a similar way in clinical tumors, BRMS1-mRNA expression was investigated in a series of 107 human breast carcinomas and correlated with the presence or not of axillary node metastases. Additionally, BRMS1 expression was correlated with all available clinical (histologic variety, histologic and nuclear grade) and biological parameters (ploidy, expression of Ki67, hormone receptors, c-erb-B2 and p53), as well as with the expression of hMAM- and Nup88-mRNA, previously shown by us to correlate with very low and very high aggressiveness of breast cancer, respectively. Results: Down-regulation of BRMS1 expression in the tumors did not correlate with the presence of axillary node metastases. Furthermore, BRMS1 expression did not correlate with any other of the studied clinical or biological tumor parameters. Conclusion: In clinical breast cancers, down-regulation of BRMS1 expression seems not to mimic the very clear-cut antimetatstatic properties displayed in experimental tumor models.