Securin predicts aneuploidy and survival in breast cancer

Karra H, Pitkanen R, Nykanen M, Talvinen K, Kuopio T, Soderstrom M & Kronqvist P (2012) Histopathology 60, 586–596 Securin predicts aneuploidy and survival in breast cancer Aims:  Securin is known to participate in maintaining chromosomal integrity during the cell cycle through regulation of metaphase–anaphase transition, DNA damage repair, and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of securin in aneuploidy and prognosis in human breast cancer. Methods and results:  The study was based on 603 breast cancer patients with up to 20 years of follow-up. DNA content was determined by image cytometry on cell imprints, and securin immunohistochemistry was performed on tissue microarrays of breast cancer tissue. We show, for the first time in human breast cancer, that high-level securin expression predicts abnormal DNA content, with up to 9.8-fold odds for aneuploid DNA content (P = 0.0007). Securin also shows strong independent prognostic value for disease-specific survival, with a significant difference in survival time between patients with low-level and high-level securin expression. Conclusions:  The main result of the present study is the association of aneuploidy and securin expression. According to our results, securin immunohistochemistry is also a potential new prognosticator for treatment decisions concerning breast cancer patients.