Prognostic Significance of miR-145, NANOG, OCT4, and KLF4 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND: Among women, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. OCT4, NANOG, and KLF4 are markers of cancer stem cells. miR-145 is a tumor suppressor in many cancers. We aimed to estimate the expression of miR-145 and cancer stem cell markers in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and to investigate their correlations with clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes in these patients. METHODS: The study included 90 female patients with TNBC. Grade III represented 64.4% of cases, while Grades I and II represented 11.1% and 24.4%, respectively. Seventy-two patients (80%) had lymph node involvement. Breast tissues from malignant and adjacent control tissues were used for RNA extraction and subsequent analysis of miR-145 expression. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses were also performed. RESULTS: It was found that lymph node (LN)-positive tumors exhibited higher OCT4 levels compared to LN-negative tumors (P = 0.039). Additionally, tumors with extensive intraductal invasion and relapse showed lower KLF4 levels (P = 0.02 and