Fig. 1Immunohistochemical results for Tau, α-tubulin, and βIII-tubulin. Tau: 0 (A), 1+ (B), 2+ (C), and 3+ (D); α-tubulin: 0 (E), 1+ (F), 2+ (G), and 3+ (H); and βIII-tubulin: 0 (I), 1+ (J), 2+ (K), and 3+ (L).
Fig. 2Survival curve according to Tau expression. (A) Patients with Tau expression have a worse overall survival rate in the taxane-containing chemotherapy group (p=.049). (B) In the non-taxane-containing chemotherapy group, Tau expression does not affect the overall survival (p=.999).
Table 1.Relationships between Tau, α-tubulin, and βIII-tubulin expression and clinicopathologic factors of breast cancer
Clinicopathologic factor |
No. of cases (%) |
No. of positive cases (%)
|
Tau |
p-value |
α-Tubulin |
p-value |
βIII-Tubulin |
p-value |
Age (yr) |
< 50 |
99 (54.1) |
66 (57.9) |
.185 |
35 (64.8) |
.060 |
65 (58.6) |
.133 |
|
≥ 50 |
84 (45.9) |
48 (42.1) |
|
19 (35.2) |
|
46 (41.4) |
|
T stage |
1 |
59 (32.2) |
39 (34.2) |
.602 |
20 (37.0) |
.425 |
40 (36.0) |
.257 |
|
2 |
107 (58.5) |
66 (57.9) |
|
31 (57.4) |
|
63 (56.8) |
|
|
3 |
17 (9.3) |
9 (7.9) |
|
3 (5.6) |
|
8 (7.2) |
|
LN metastasis |
0 |
96 (52.5) |
49 (43.0) |
.003*
|
36 (66.7) |
.032*
|
69 (62.2) |
.004*
|
|
1-3 |
52 (28.4) |
41 (36.0) |
|
9 (16.7) |
|
24 (21.6) |
|
|
≥ 4 |
35 (19.1) |
24 (21.1) |
|
9 (16.7) |
|
18 (16.2) |
|
Stage |
I |
34 (18.6) |
20 (17.5) |
.135 |
15 (27.8) |
.079 |
25 (22.5) |
.077 |
|
II |
102 (55.7) |
59 (51.8) |
|
29 (53.7) |
|
63 (56.8) |
|
|
III |
47 (25.7) |
35 (30.7) |
|
10 (18.5) |
|
23 (20.7) |
|
Nuclear grade |
1 |
11 (6.0) |
11 (9.6) |
< .001*
|
3 (5.6) |
.843 |
6 (5.4) |
.006*
|
|
2 |
100 (54.6) |
69 (60.5) |
|
28 (51.9) |
|
51 (45.9) |
|
|
3 |
72 (39.3) |
34 (29.8) |
|
23 (42.6) |
|
54 (48.6) |
|
Histologic grade |
1 |
31 (16.9) |
28 (24.6) |
< .001*
|
7 (13.0) |
.341 |
18 (16.2) |
.001*
|
|
2 |
75 (41.0) |
52 (45.6) |
|
20 (37.0) |
|
35 (31.5) |
|
|
3 |
77 (42.1) |
34 (29.8) |
|
27 (50.0) |
|
58 (52.3) |
|
ER |
– |
94 (51.4) |
35 (30.7) |
< .001*
|
28 (51.9) |
.932 |
71 (64.0) |
< .001*
|
|
+ |
89 (48.6) |
79 (69.3) |
|
26 (48.1) |
|
40 (36.0) |
|
PR |
– |
106 (57.9) |
48 (42.1) |
< .001*
|
31 (57.4) |
.927 |
70 (63.1) |
.080 |
|
+ |
77 (42.1) |
66 (57.9) |
|
23 (42.6) |
|
41 (36.9) |
|
HER2 |
– |
129 (70.5) |
90 (78.9) |
.001*
|
43 (79.6) |
.079 |
77 (69.4) |
.679 |
|
+ |
54 (29.5) |
24 (21.1) |
|
11 (20.4) |
|
34 (30.6) |
|
Table 2.Relationships between disease progression and Tau, α-tubulin, and βIII-tubulin expression
|
|
Total (n = 183) |
Local recurrence
|
Distant metastasis
|
Disease related death
|
|
|
– |
+ |
p-value |
– |
+ |
p-value |
– |
+ |
p-value |
Tau |
– |
69 (37.7) |
65 (94.2) |
4 (5.8) |
.463 |
59 (85.5) |
10 (14.5) |
.589 |
64 (92.8) |
5 (7.2) |
.279 |
|
+ |
114 (62.3) |
104 (91.2) |
10 (8.8) |
|
94 (82.5) |
20 (17.5) |
|
100 (87.7) |
14 (12.3) |
|
α-Tubulin |
– |
129 (70.5) |
116 (89.9) |
13 (10.1) |
.056 |
103 (79.8) |
26 (20.2) |
.034*
|
113 (87.6) |
16 (12.4) |
.166 |
|
+ |
54 (29.5) |
53 (98.1) |
1 (1.9) |
|
50 (92.6) |
4 (7.4) |
|
51 (94.4) |
3 (5.6) |
|
βIII-Tubulin |
– |
72 (39.3) |
65 (90.3) |
7 (9.7) |
.396 |
59 (81.9) |
13 (18.1) |
.625 |
62 (86.1) |
10 (13.9) |
.210 |
|
+ |
111(60.7) |
104 (93.7) |
7 (6.3) |
|
94 (84.7) |
17 (15.3) |
|
102 (91.9) |
19 (10.4) |
|
Table 3.Relationships between Tau, α-tubulin, and βIII-tubulin expression and disease progression according to the use of taxane-based chemotherapy
|
|
Non-taxane-containing regimen
|
Taxane-containing regimen
|
Chemotherapy received patients
|
|
|
n = 97 |
No. of progressions (%) |
p-value |
n = 45 |
No. of progressions (%) |
p-value |
n = 142 |
No. of progressions (%) |
p-value |
Tau |
– |
37 |
7 (18.9) |
.943 |
19 |
1 (5.3) |
.001*
|
56 |
8 (14.3) |
.041*
|
|
+ |
60 |
11 (18.3) |
|
26 |
14 (53.8) |
|
86 |
25 (29.1) |
|
α-Tubulin |
– |
70 |
15 (21.4) |
.241 |
29 |
13 (44.8) |
.028*
|
99 |
28 (28.3) |
.031*
|
|
+ |
27 |
3 (11.1) |
|
16 |
2 (12.5) |
|
43 |
5 (11.6) |
|
βIII-Tubulin |
– |
44 |
8 (18.2) |
.931 |
17 |
9 (52.9) |
.030*
|
61 |
17 (27.9) |
.257 |
|
+ |
53 |
10 (18.9) |
|
28 |
6 (21.4) |
|
81 |
16 (19.8) |
|
Table 4.Kaplan-Meier analysis of overall survival
|
|
Kaplan-Meier analysis
|
|
|
n |
No. of deceased |
p-value |
Age (yr) |
< 50 |
99 |
10 |
.659 |
|
≥ 50 |
84 |
9 |
|
T stage |
1 |
59 |
4 |
.151 |
|
2 |
107 |
11 |
|
|
3 |
17 |
4 |
|
LN metastasis |
0 |
96 |
2 |
< .000*
|
|
1-3 |
52 |
11 |
|
|
≥ 4 |
35 |
6 |
|
Stage |
I |
34 |
1 |
.017*
|
|
II |
102 |
9 |
|
|
III |
47 |
9 |
|
Tau |
– |
69 |
5 |
.258 |
|
+ |
114 |
14 |
|
α-Tubulin |
– |
129 |
16 |
.169 |
|
+ |
54 |
3 |
|
βIII-Tubulin |
– |
72 |
10 |
.325 |
|
+ |
111 |
9 |
|
Taxane-containing chemotherapy group |
|
|
|
|
Tau |
– |
19 |
0 |
.049*
|
|
+ |
26 |
7 |
|
α-Tubulin |
– |
29 |
7 |
.066 |
|
+ |
16 |
0 |
|
βIII-Tubulin |
– |
17 |
4 |
.396 |
|
+ |
28 |
3 |
|
Non-taxane-containing chemotherapy group |
|
|
|
|
Tau |
– |
37 |
4 |
.999 |
|
+ |
60 |
6 |
|
α-Tubulin |
– |
70 |
8 |
.578 |
|
+ |
27 |
2 |
|
βIII-Tubulin |
– |
44 |
4 |
.758 |
|
+ |
53 |
6 |
|