Analyzes of Interleukin-17 Expression and Clinicopathological Characteristics of Breast Carcinoma

Abstract

Background
Interaction between cancer cells and tumor microenvironment plays roles in cancer proliferation and invasiveness. Many type of
cytokine produced by inflammatory cells in tumor stroma could stimulate tumor proliferation and invasiveness, such as interleukin-17.
The aim of this study is to determine the correlation between IL-17 expression and clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer.
Methods
Serial cases study was performed by enrolling 40 paraffin block of breast cancer patients. Clinicopathological characteirstics were
noted, including age, histopathological subtype and grade, TILs, lymphovascular invasion and molecular subtype. TILs were scored
by denomination area of stromal tissue occupied by mononuclear cells over total stromal area. Expression of IL-17 was examined by
using immunohistochemistry with anti-IL-17 antibody and counted from stromal mononuclear cells cytoplasm staining from five areas.
The average value was used as a cut-off point in determining level of expression. Data were analysed by using SPSS v.22.
Results
Majority of the patients were more than 40 years old (75%), histopathological grade III (77.5%), without lymphovascular invasion
(62.5%), luminal B molecular subtype (57.5%), and non-dominant TILs (95%). IL-17 expression was not significantly correlated with
clinicopathological characteristics with p value=0.079, 0.600, 0.739, 0.883 and 1.000 respectively for age, histological grade,
lymphovascular invasion, molecular subtype and TILs.
Conclusion
Interleukin-17 expression and clinicopathological on characteristics of breast carcinoma between histopathological grade, TILs, and
lymphovascular invasion showed no significant differences. There was a tendency that the higher IL-17 expression, the higher
histopathological grade, the lower TILs and positive lymphovascular invasion