Prevalence of BRCA 1 and Ki 67 Expressions in a Sample of Iraqi Patients Diagnosed with Breast Cancer: Correlation with their Demographic and Clinical Profiles

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Background: Breast cancer is the commonest type of malignancy among women worldwide and in Iraq. Specific genetic mutations could be utilized in screening women at risk, while some markers of cell proliferation present prognostic and predictive significance in the management of breast cancer patients

Objective: This study was conducted to address the demographic characteristic of a sample of breast cancer patients in Iraq; correlating those with the prevalence of BRCA1 and Ki 67 expressions in their tumour tissue specimens

Methods: The study comprised 130 patients who were diagnosed as having breast carcinoma at a Referral Center for Early Detection of Breast Tumours in Baghdad; from whom demographic profile was recorded.  Histopathological examination of the neoplastic tissue specimen belonging to 60 patients was carried out after surgical excision of the tumour. Paraffin embedded blocks were assessed for immunohistochemical expressions of BRCA-1 and Ki-67 tumor markers. 

 Results: The highest frequency of breast carcinoma was displayed in the forth decade of life;  13.8% of patients had a family history of the breast cancer, 42% had history of contraceptive pills consumption and a positive history of lactation was recorded in 80%. Seventy percent of patients had their menarche before the age of 12 years, 83% had more than one child while 28.5% had abortion more than once. There was a significant association between the educational status and contacting the disease. BRCA 1 protein expression had strong association with family history of breast cancer and was demonstrated in 61.6% of the studied sample; in 75% of these cases, staining was in the cytoplasm only. BRCA1 expression was significantly correlated with the histological grade of the primary tumour but not with the stage of the disease. Ki-67 tumor marker had a direct association with the degree of differentiation of mammary carcinoma and was observed in 60% of studied group

Conclusion: Efforts should be directed towards establishing cancer control programs in Iraq focusing on screening and early detection of breast cancer. Immunohistochemical detection of BRCA1 and Ki 67 is a relatively simple technique that could be used to identify women with high risk of developing proliferative neoplastic breast lesions.