ECM1 mRNA and protein expression in breast cancer tissues and its significance

Objective To investigate the expression and significance of extracellular matrix protein 1(ECM1) in breast cancer tissues at the mRNA and protein levels.To evaluate and compare ECM1 expression by real-time RT-PCR with immunohistochemistry(IHC) as diagnostic aids in breast cancer.Methods ECM1 expression was studied in normal breast tissues and breast cancer using real-time RT-PCR with immunohistochemistry(IHC) .The performance characteristics of ECM1 expression were examined with receiver operating characteristic curves and the resulting area under the curve.Results ECM1 was highly expressed in breast cancer,compared with normal breast tissues,both at the mRNA(P 0.01) and protein(P 0.01) levels.ECM1 expression by real-time RT-PCR and IHC methods was useful in identifying breast cancer(AUC = 0.834 and 0.773,respectively) .Conclusions ECM1 was over-expressed in breast cancer tissues.We confirm that ECM1 expression has potential utility as an independent diagnostic marker for breast cancer.