Ki-67 expression in triple-negative breast cancer and its correlation with age
https://doi.org/10.37748/2686-9039-2025-6-3-6
EDN: llbjxl
Abstract
Purpose of the study. To analyze the correlation between the proliferative activity of atypical cells in triple-negative breast cancer (BC) and patient age.
Patients and methods. The study included 80 women with a newly diagnosed BC, in whom a triple-negative surrogate molecular genetic subtype was identified based on histological and immunohistochemical examination with assessment of hormone receptor expression and Ki‑67. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistica 13.5.0.17 software (TIBCO Software Inc.). The Shapiro-Wilk test was applied to assess the normality of the distribution. Correlation between variables was evaluated using the Kendall tau rank correlation coefficient.
Results. The median age of patients was 53.9 years (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 50.0–57.8) (Fig. 3). Among them, 65 % of patients were younger than 50 years and 35 % were older. The median proliferative activity, assessed by Ki‑67 expression according to the St. Gallen Consensus (2009), was 76.4 % (95 % CI: 73.28–79.66). However, this indicator varied depending on patient age. The analysis revealed a correlation between Ki‑67 expression level and patient age, with a Kendall tau coefficient of –0.449 (p < 0.05), corresponding to a weak-to-moderate negative association.
Conclusion. The analysis showed that the degree of Ki‑67 expression correlates with the age at breast cancer onset. Thus, there is a tendency toward higher proliferative activity of cancer cells in younger patients.
About the Authors
G. A. Demyashkin
P. A. Herzen MNIOI – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center; I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University)
Russian Federation
Competing Interests:
Russian Federation
Grigory A. Demyashkin – Dr. Sci. (Med.), MD, Pathologist, Head of the Department of Digital Oncomorphology, P. A. Herzen MNIOI – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Moscow, Russian Federation; head of the Laboratory of Histology and Immunohistochemistry, I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russian Federation
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8447-2600, SPIN: 5157-0177, AuthorID: 645433, Scopus Author ID: 57200415197, Web of Science ResearcherID: ABD-7650-2021
Competing Interests:
the authors declare that there are no obvious and potential conflicts of interest associated with the publication of this article
D. V. Belokopytov
P. A. Herzen MNIOI – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center; I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University)
Russian Federation
Competing Interests:
Russian Federation
Dmitriy V. Belokopytov – laboratory researcher at the Department of Digital Oncomorphology, P. A. Herzen MNIOI – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Moscow, Russian Federation; Specialist of the Laboratory of Histology and Immunohistochemistry, I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russian Federation
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3746-3924, SPIN: 9686-3476, AuthorID: 1267929
Competing Interests:
the authors declare that there are no obvious and potential conflicts of interest associated with the publication of this article
A. A. Guzik
P. A. Herzen MNIOI – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center; I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University)
Russian Federation
Competing Interests:
Russian Federation
Anastasia A. Guzik – сandidate, P. A. Herzen MNIOI – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Center, Moscow, Russian Federation; Specialist of the Laboratory of Histology and Immunohistochemistry, I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russian Federation
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5833-3401, SPIN: 2544-8240, AuthorID: 1270642
Competing Interests:
the authors declare that there are no obvious and potential conflicts of interest associated with the publication of this article
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Review
For citations:
Demyashkin G.A., Belokopytov D.V., Guzik A.A. Ki-67 expression in triple-negative breast cancer and its correlation with age. South Russian Journal of Cancer. 2025;6(3):53-62. https://doi.org/10.37748/2686-9039-2025-6-3-6. EDN: llbjxl
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