CD10 expression in stromal cells of patients with breast cancer: a poor prognostic marker

Introduction: markers in breast cancer stem cells, such as cluster of differentiation 10 (CD10), would be correlated with invasive and metastatic potential of several types of cancer, contributing to tumor growth and metastases. In patients with breast cancer, its prognostic value is still controversial, given the discrepancy of results. The purpose of the study was to study CD10 expression in stromal cells of patients with breast cancer as well as to evaluate the prognostic value of this expression. Method: we conducted a retrospective, descriptive and prognostic study. It involved 57 patients with invasive cancer of no special type, whose data were collected in the Department of Pathological Anatomy at the Mongi Slim Hospital over a 38-month period. CD10 expression was studied immunohistochemically and interpreted by semi-quantitative scoring system based on three categories with thresholds of 10 and 30%. Results: the average age of patients was 56.4 years. Twenty-eight patients (49%) had labeled CD10 stromal, half of patients had a score of 1 (low) and the other half had 2 (high). This labeling significantly reduced recurrence free survival (p=0.001). However, it had no influence on overall survival (p=0.84). The correlation study showed that CD10 expression in stromal cells was significantly correlated with 12 poor prognostic factors in patients with breast cancer. Conclusion: CD10 expression in stromal cells of invasive breast cancer is a poor prognostic factor, predictive of poor survival without recurrence and associated with a high invasive and metastatic potential.