Expression and Significance of CD133 in Breast Cancer

Objective To investigate the expression of CD133 protein in breast cancer and its relationship with the clinical characteristics of tumors. Methods In one hundred and nine cases of breast cancer CD133 tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry for CD133, and results were compared with those in 60 benign tumor tissues. Results The expression rate of CD133 protein were 46.8%(51/109) in 109 cases of breast cancer. It was much higher than that in benign tumor tissues samples which was 0.33%(2/60). The difference was statistically significant (P0.01). The expression of CD133 was related with tumor grade and subtypes(P0.05). Conclusion The high expression of CD133 in breast cancer is closely related to the differentiation and subtypes of breast cancer. It can be used as an important factor in judging the prognosis of breast cancer.